Personal Wedding Email: Do It!

I've been noticing recently that there has been a growing trend where couples are doing something that I think is absolutely worth the effort. They are creating an email specifically for their wedding. There are so many pros to this movement that I just had to throw in my two cents about the topic. 

Here is why I think it is a great idea to have an email designated for your wedding:

1. Vendors will immediately be able to recognize your email.

Although your personal or work email may have your name in it, sometimes it can get really confusing to find your email when it has nothing to do with your first or last name (yes, I'm talking to all you AOL/AIM early 2000's users that thought it would be cute to have a name like toohott4u@blank.com).

Tip: You can include your date in your email so that vendors know immediately whether they are available for your date or not. It also keeps us on task for any deadlines we may have with you.

2. Everything can be found in one place.

As it is, you probably have a large amount of emails from friends, family, coworkers, stores, and clubs you want to keep up with on any news or sales that you desperately have to take advantage of ;). However, when it comes to wedding planning, you really need to keep tabs on each conversation you have. Whether it be with a vendor, bridesmaid, venue, or guest, you will want to have record of every message that is sent in or out of your inbox. It will help save time when you are desperately searching your inbox for that contract you had to send the florist a month ago. ;)

Tip: You could actually take it a step further and create folders for each of your vendors and store all emails pertaining to them in one SPECIFIC place.

3. Conserves clutter from your main/work email once your event has passed. 

Let's face it. After your wedding, you may not want to keep receiving emails from those wedding websites giving you tips and ideas for the wedding you already had. You can choose to shut off completely or ignore it until you need the information for the next big event. 

4. IT'S FREE

All you need in the email name is your names (celebrated couple) and possibly your date. Nowadays it is very simple to sign up for an email. Not one of them will ask you for payment no matter how ridiculous your name or reason for having it sounds. 

Tip: Gmail and Outlook are my favorite email providers. Why? Because they allow for customized signatures that includes photos or links. They display them very nicely and carries over to most email providers (unless the vendor or person has a strict email server that only allows text emails).

And that tip leads me to an even BIGGER TIP!!

Include your image at the bottom of your signature with your date.

As a vendor, I see and meet multiple couples within the same day. Unless we had a really great conversation, I'm might not instantaneously remember what you look like or if you were the bride that wanted the Coral and Mint color combination instead of the Gold and Navy combo when I speak to you after a bridal expo or show. We are human. Adding a photo to your signature will not only remind us of whom we are speaking to, but also familiarize us with whom we are working for. Seriously!! 

Also if you have a wedding website, link it in your signature as well. Its fun to get to know a little about you before I meet you so we have stuff to relate to other than what type of design you want for your invitations. Oh and for extra points, add your hashtag for the event (if you already have one) to the bottom of your email as well. This way, if a vendor posts up an image of anything they have created for your big day, they can tag you. :) 

Now that I've given my two cents, what do you think? Are you using a personalized email? How is it working for you?

Event "To Do" List

Planning a huge event can prove to be no easy task. Often, clients seem frazzled when responding to questions through email. At Only One Mark, we really try to make our services as simple and clear as possible. If you are finding yourself in this position, here are some tips that may come in handy.

1. BREATHE - Yes, you heard right. Take a deep breath in and breathe out slowly. The world will not end if everything you plan for your event does not go off with a hitch. Mentally prepare yourself for the unexpected. As long as you don't lose your poker face during the event, no one will notice there is something missing or wrong. 
2. Make a List - Grab your mobile device or go old school and grab a small notebook. Write the date on the top of the page and list the tasks for the day. You may not finish them all in one day, but at least you can check off each task as it is complete. Worse case scenerio: move the unfinished tasks to the following day's list. This will quickly help you prioritize important tasks.
3. If help is needed, ask for it - That's right. Ask for help. You would be surprised at the amount of help that could be supplied if you only asked the right people. Don't drown in misery as your plans begin to flop away in the wind. Ask those around you for help, even if it is just to vent. They may remind you that not all hope is lost...or even better....help you figure out a solution to the issue.
4. Be thoughtful and ask tough questions -  Do It Yourself (DIY) Projects can be fun and even rewarding when enough time and effort are put towards a task. However, if that Pinterest Pin is just not coming out the way you hoped, its time to ask some hard questions.Take into consideration whether or not you need the item you are agonizing over or not. Will your event drastically deflate if you don't have that huge Step and Repeat Poster? Will guests snuff at you for not having little note tags on each of your event favors? Answer truthfully and proceed.
5. When all else fails, call in a professional - If there is something that is a huge need for your event, call in a professional. We at Only One Mark want to make your event as successful and memorable as you imagine it to be. If you can imagine it, we can make it a reality. Need small "Thank You" gift tags for your party favors? We can design and have them ready for assembly. Have no idea how you are going to display your menu or create place cards for your guests to find their seats? We got you covered. 

So what are you waiting for?! Start getting organized! 

What's still on your event "To Do" list?

Special Touches: Wax Seals

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If there was something I have always loved, it has been receiving an invitation to help celebrate someone's special event. What would make those moments even more memorable was when there was a special touch added to the envelope. One of those special touches is wax seals. 

All throughout history, seals have been used as an official signature. If something needed signing, the mark of your ring with some wax did the trick. Fast forward to the present and some seals are still used for the same practice. However, what most people know it for today is the final touch to an invitation. 

I had always wanted to acquire a seal with our logo on it. We would use it for Thank You Cards and brown paper packages tied up with strings. ;D I stumbled upon BackToZero and fell in love instantaneously with her shop. Who wouldn't love multiple colors of wax and customized seal designs?!

Even with all of the options offered by the shop, BackToZero offers a service near and dear to our hearts. They offer the service to create your own custom seal. This means that you can create something for your big day and it be specific to your theme or yourself in general. 

After some time, we finally ordered our own. I cannot tell you how easy Lingke made our transaction. She will let you know if your logo or image needs to be resized. She also offers traditional sealing wax and sealing wax can be placed in a glue gun, allowing for easier application of the wax (and less black burn marks in the wax).

I suggest that if you are planning a special event or want something to make your personal stationary stand out, think about creating a custom wax seal. It will be something you can use for any occasion. If you need help deciding on a design, take a look at BackToZero's shop or ask us to create a design for you. Lingke will take the design and create a beautiful seal for you to use and cherish.

The Confusion with Registries

Anyone who has had, thrown, or been invited to a wedding or baby shower knows all too well of the confusion and frustration purchasing from a registry can be.

As the bride or expectant mother, registries are a great way to get exactly what you need for this great new milestone in your life. However, sometimes the way you tell your guests about the registry might not be the best method. Some retailers (I won't name any names) will give you a cute, little 2" x 2" card that has the store information on it, but will have you fill in your information. I was even sent one that had a specific location for the retailer highlighted (of which I just thought was really snooty). Here are some questions that some people don't think about when they create a registry:

1. What if you have multiple places you are registered at? Now-a-days, most are aware of the difficult times we find ourselves in and are conscious that not everyone can pay for the precious, fine china that costs an arm and a leg. So, instead, they will choose two different retailers that will meet all their guest's needs.
2. What if the retailer doesn't offer registry cards?​ Yes, there are some retailers that do not find purpose in creating these helpful guides. This just means that your guest will rely on the information either on the invitation or by word of mouth from other guests.
3. What if the registry can only be found online?​ These retailers will go with the computer culture and just expect you to send an email your guests with a link directing them to the site. That might cut off some of your guests since not everyone is computer/internet friendly.

You might just say, "Well, I'll just put the information on the invitation" or "Those who know us best will know how to find our registry". Oh and let's not forget the infamous "If people truly know us, they will find our registry through our names."

To these responses, I remind you that not all guests are alike. Some guests will not remember to take their invitation with them to the retailer, let alone remember your name. It is always best to simplify instead of complicate. Hence, we created the answer to this conundrum.​

Custom Registry Cards​ we've created will help your guests efficiently choose where to go purchase the gift for your special event. It is small enough to be placed into any purse or wallet and contains the names of those registered (Bride, Groom, Mother-to-Be, etc).  This includes those great places online. You could even include your direct web address. Here are some great images of some of the cards we have created.

So until next week! Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.​

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​Made in any shape, color, and size, Custom Registry Cards are the way to go.

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