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Wedding Insurance

9/16/2020

Well hello again! We are hoping this is our last COVID-related post! We want our couples to be as careful and knowledgable as possible towards wedding insurance and safety precautions.

The last couple of months have been challenging for everyone to say the least. As we have faced COVID-19 in the wedding industry, couples have postponed their special day for a later time. It is really difficult to define the future, and how it’s going to look like. But no matter how different gatherings might be when the time comes, we will make it happen. We all need connection with family and friends.

This unprecedented situation has brought up the topic of having wedding insurance more than ever. Because life happens. Who would’ve thought that there was going to be a global pandemic? Although, the pandemic is not a covered reason at this present time, and many insurance companies are not offering new cancellation policies during the “ongoing crisis”, wedding insurance is still relevant.

There are so many other things that can happen, aside from a pandemic, like severe weather, sudden illness or injury of someone at the wedding party, job loss, withdrawal of military leave, or even venue bankruptcy. What the policy can cover does vary depending on the company, policies, and add-ons you go for. Consumers Advocate has completed a research on wedding insurance that compares several companies and options so it can be a bit easier for you.

Even though there has been a change in celebration dates, it is a good opportunity to keep planning and check insurance options available and determine what do you need and what is your budget. Some people don’t like the talk about insurance and others don’t exactly know if they need it, so one question that can help to determine if you need can be: “Do you have enough money to pay and cover any damage costs that occur before and during your wedding?”. If the answer is no, then you should consider looking into having insurance.

As things can happen “out of the blue” it can be a relief to always have a backup plan and even better when you can save time, stress, and even money if something does actually happen.

Check out their Instagram for more helpful information!

By: Cristina Bailey
Outreach Specialist
You can reach her at cristina.bailey@consumersadvocate.org

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How To Ask Your Bridesmaids 101

8/5/2020

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Get a custom bottle of wine or champagne for your bridesmaids with a label that pops the question - after that, drink up and have yourselves a night! I'm loving this customized bottle, I'd say yes!
Customize your labels HERE

Make a customized box with all of their favorites things. You can put a face mask, a bath bomb, their favorite candy or snack, a miniature bottle of their favorite shot (hey tequila!) Make it cute and unique for the individual - this is super special!
Customize your boxes HERE

Go out to a brunch, lunch or dinner date and simply pop the question over some brick oven pizza or some spaghetti. You can customize this by giving them all their own mimosa glass with their name on it, wine glass, shot glass, etc. - make it fun and unique!
Custom glasses HERE

Pack your bags, go on a beach trip or have a day at the pool. Surprise the girls with these fun matching bathing suits. This is perfect for a fun photo-op too! They are killing it!
Custom Swim Suits HERE

This is probably the most common - but you can get them a piece of jewelry that you want them to wear on your special day, a necklace, earrings or a bracelet that signifies the love you have for them all! This is a forever gift!

Jewelry ideas HERE

A classy card is simple and elegant, but if you're over being classy - add a little humor to it!
Unique cards HERE

A sweet treat can never do you wrong - you can do a customized cookie, bag of candy, cupcakes etc. that helps pop the question and put a smile on their face! YUM!
You can either make these, go to a local bakery or find them HERE

Customize some cute cozies and go out in style! I love a gift that keeps on giving... This is also a great photo opportunity and you can keep it for the bachelorette party. Woot woot!
Get these HERE

All in all, whatever you decide to do to ask your I DO Crew will be special and unique because you are! Get creative, do something fun, make the day out of it! Enjoy all of these special moments :)

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Writing Your Vows 101

6/22/2020

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Hi guys and gals! We always have questions about writing your vows - when you should write them, where you should write them, how to start, whether to add a joke? Well we're here to give you our KMW Expertise on Writing Your Wedding Vows!

We'll make it short and sweet for ya!

Tip #1. Don't google your vows! Everything you need is right in front of you and inside of your heart. Google knows a lot I have to admit, but it doesn't know how you're feeling about the person beside you.

Tip #2. Do not, I repeat DO NOT wait until the night before or the day of to write your vows! Believe it or not, we get a lot of couples that think getting ready or about to leave to go take their pictures is a good time to start writing their wedding vows.

Tip #3. Cut out the cliches and put something funny or an inside joke that is sure to make them giggle / cry. A good balance is some mushy gushy, some funny parts, a little shout out section to the family and of course, romance.

Tip #4. Depending on your comfort zone, maybe exchanging vows in private, writing each other a letter is a better idea than spilling your guts infant of everyone at the ceremony. Everyone is different, do what feels right and special to you and your partner.

Tip #5. Keep them! Whether typed out or written on an old napkin - you'll want to look back and remember the sweet words you exchanged to each other that day. Also, if you renew your vows later on in life, that would be amazing to re-read to each other (just an idea!)

Okay my job here is done - now go write your vows!

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Say I Do - In Your Backyard

6/10/2020

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Backyard Weddings are going to be the newest up and coming trend for the rest of 2020 and even going into 2021 - and that is NOT a bad thing! We have perfected the backyard wedding and are excited to be able to let our creativity flow and make these weddings as special and unique as possible! There are some things you need to know when planning a backyard wedding, in’s and out’s, pros and cons - hey, that’s what we’re here for!

Let me give you some reasons why a backyard wedding is one of the best things to do in this current predicament:

#1. Save money on a venue cost - because of this, you have more room in your budget for other things such as the rentals, caterer, and fun things like a photographer and videographer!
#2. Freedom with dates and rules - there will be no discussion on when the venue is available to have your wedding or curfew, you make the rules!
#3. Let your creativity run wild - you want a white horse to walk you down the aisle, let’s do it!
#4. Allows you to work with any vendors - food trucks and bar trucks are super fun and easy!
#5. Now that CDC guidelines are lifting - this is the perfect way to marry the person you love, with ALL of the people you love with little to no restrictions and less worry!

Don't get us wrong... House weddings can be a lot of hard work, but it will be worth it in the end - these are super fun, cost-friendly, smart for the times and your wedding will for sure be unique! Keep scrolling...

Now onto the trickiest parts of backyard wedding planning and why a wedding planner is no longer a luxury, but a necessity!

#1. Everything from the tent to the juice you mix your drinks with has to be rented and brought in - that in itself is a task!
#2. It’s your backyard or your family's backyard which makes you feel like you need to be the host, but that’s why you have a planner to make sure that you don’t lift a finger and that everyone is able to enjoy the day and not worry about stocking the bathroom with more toilet paper.
#3. Sometimes it rains and your plan changes - we will always have a rain plan to make sure nothing will ruin your wedding, especially a little mother nature!
#4. Backyard weddings can be a logistical nightmare, starting from the flow of the event to the small details like having enough electricity, bathrooms, rentals and people to make it all come together.
#5. As always, transportation is always a tricky thing, but at a house wedding you need to figure out the parking arrangements, load-in times and where the rentals can be dropped off / picked up etc. These aspects are much easier with the help of a pro!

Don’t let any of this scare you away though - with the right help and trustworthy vendors, your wedding will be completely out of this world! We have nearly 10 years of experience with backyard weddings and one of those amazing weddings being the ‘Kyle’ in Kyle Michelle Weddings.

Okay, now that I'm all excited and have the backyard wedding jitters - let's do this!

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Tips and the EXPRESS Wedding + Events

5/22/2020

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It was March 12th, 2020 when the CDC issued restrictions on all mass gatherings which meant no more weddings in the foreseeable future. A billion-dollar industry nearly wiped away in a matter of minutes; along with dreams, designs and plans that have been in the making for years. I don’t know about you, but I started planning my wedding when I was 12 years old – designing a wedding dress for my barbie doll and practicing my first dance with a pillowcase on my head. Weddings are _______ (you can fill in the blank!)

As we wait, our minds start to wonder, will weddings ever be the same? Will 150-300 people ever want to be in a room dancing closely again? We say YES! Yes, we will get back to weddings the way they have been for hundreds of years. You know why, because this is what we live for. We live to celebrate all the amazing accomplishments, relationships and milestones in each other’s lives, and we live to do so with the ones closest to us.

Kyle Michelle Weddings wants to help accomplish that. Some people have been planning their wedding for their whole life, that’s why we’ve been working day and night to communicate with venues, switch dates, check with vendors to make sure they can accommodate the changes and most of all, be there whenever our couple needs us. We are working endlessly to make sure that this transition is as smooth as possible.

5 Pro Tips from KMW:
1. Remember that it's not always about having the biggest guest count when it comes to having your dream wedding. A lot of your budget gets allocated towards the amount of guests. The fewer guests, the more you can explore your budget and make the express / micro wedding represent the two of you as a couple. Trust me, it will still be nothing less than perfection.
2. In regards to rescheduling your wedding in general, take a look at the most important parts of your wedding and go from there. Is the wedding venue the most important aspect to you? If so, find a date that they're available and then check with your vendors and vice versa. A lot of our couples are willing to change their venue date, but not willing to budge on their photographer, so that would be the person you check for availability first.
3. Digital invitations and a wedding website are a must! This way you can keep your guests updated with every change without breaking the bank. Our express package includes a custom website with RSVP capabilities to make life a bit easier.
4. Be decisive and go with your gut. Sign contracts and lockdown vendors quickly and schedule virtual meetings that work for both parties immediately as opposed to waiting on it (sometimes time isn't in your favor.)
5. Most importantly, hire appropriately. Find a wedding planner who gets you and understands your overall wedding vision. This is key as you will have little time to make decisions and you will need someone who can suggest one or two vendors who completely match your style, budget and personality. Furthermore, trust all your vendors! After months of no weddings, florists will be exploding with creativity, photographers will be shooting their best shots and wedding planners will take full control, let them!

Spring, Summer and even some Fall weddings are being postponed and changed due to uncertainty and risk. But what happens if things start to open up in the Summer or Fall and you can now have gatherings, you can be in hotels, venues and vendors / guests have the choice to wear a face mask or not This is where we come in! Say hello to EXPRESS Weddings. This package is for the bride who just can’t wait until 2021, the couples who want to have a unique backyard wedding with 50 people, the ones who want a really cool elopement with 10 friends and the couple who says, “Hey, let’s get married earlier since venues and vendors will be super cheap!” We will express the wedding planning process in weeks – months to get the couple the best deal, the best experience and ultimately, the best day of their lives. Some of the most wanted vendors will now be available and open for a discount, the venues will be begging for some business, and most importantly, guests will be excited to get out of the house and have a reason to celebrate love and happiness. (And yes, this is our livelihood so we are trying our best to stay positive and hopeful as it is all we can do right now.) We’re offering this opportunity, so people are no longer delaying their lives and celebrating it instead!

We absolutely love planning and designing weddings and events. Planning all the glorious details of your dream come true day is our dream come true profession and we take it extremely seriously, especially during this tough time. Our ability to operate as a seamless team is something we've had a lifetime to perfect and we’re ready to express it!

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COVID-19 and Weddings

5/11/2020

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It was March 7th, 2020 the last wedding weekend in the North East. We happened to have a wedding in Philadelphia, PA that day. There were 140 people, all slightly nervous about a virus we knew very little about. The day before the wedding ten guests traveling from NYC backed out from attending for fear of the unknown. It would be March 12th when the CDC would issue restrictions of mass gatherings. No more weddings for the foreseeable future. A billion dollar industry nearly wiped away in a matter of minutes.

What happens next is a whirlwind of re-planning multiple weddings. Working endlessly to make sure our couples could get a new wedding date for either later in the year or moving all the way to 2021. It was weeks of back and forth with wedding vendors all trying to do what was best for their couples. Doing all of this knowing their once secure livelihood was in jeopardy. You see, the wedding industry is made up of thousands of small businesses just like ours.

How do we survive a complete shut down of our industry? When will this ever end? It made me think of why we got into wedding planning in the first place. After planning our first wedding, we were hooked. We loved the feeling of helping people come together to celebrate a new beginning. Laughing, crying, dancing, eating and drinking all while being surrounded by the people they love most in this world. This is what made our jobs so rewarding.

Now we stand with millions of others, anxiously awaiting the re-opening of our states and ultimately the wedding industry as a whole. As we wait, we wonder, will weddings ever be the same? Will 300 people ever want to be in a room dancing closely on a dance floor again? I say yes, yes we will get back to weddings the way they have been for hundreds of years. You know why, because this is why we live. We live to celebrate all the amazing accomplishments, relationships and milestones in each others lives. This is what makes us who we are. We endlessly talk about the wedding where Grandpa danced with all the bridesmaids or when the Father of the Bride sang the first dance song. These are the moments we cherish. We can't see the laughter on the brides face as her maid of honor tells funny stories if she is wearing a mask. And we can't hug our loved ones if we are watching on a computer screen.

So, while we have no idea what the future holds. We can all agree that COVID-19 is scary, but what's scarier is that we can no longer live. No one knows what the future holds, will I die of COVID-19 or a car accident? Either way, I have to believe that I lived. Let's protect our loved ones who may be compromised in these times, but let's not compromise on living.

We need weddings. And when this is all over, we will again gather, not because we can, but because it's what we need. We will do it as it has always been done, surrounded by the ones we love.

~Kristin

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Elizabeth and David

4/29/2020

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This summer wedding took place at the New York Historical Society. It was one of the most beautiful days to say "I Do" and boy do the pictures show it... Elizabeth, David and their guests dined in front of the largest Picasso in North America - which was perfect as they were both lovers of history and art. The design was so simple, yet so unique at the same time - with greenery, white florals and cumquats stuck in each structure to give it a summery and bright flare - perfect color scheme for a summer wedding!

Just wait until you see this beautiful couple...

This wedding was a blast and we were so happy to have worked with such an amazing couple!

Venue: New York Historical Society
Wedding Coordinator / Planner: Kyle Michelle Weddings
Photographer: Brian Hatton
Design: Tyger Productions
Dress: Stephen Birn Baum Bridal
Band: Hank Lane - LUXE

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KMW Wedding Planner Bucket List

4/22/2020

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What Have We Done vs. What We Wish To Do...

Where do I even start? We have been so blessed to encounter some of the most amazing people and to help create some of the most amazing weddings. But, I think we'd all be lying if we said we didn't have a secret wish list stored in the back of our minds when it comes to the wedding industry. Let's take a look inside at our very own, Kyle Michelle Wedding Planners Bucket List (not in any particular order...)

#10. Plan / Execute an Elopement - No, I don't mean in a Vegas love shack or a municipal building nearby, but an awesome elopement that will make everyone wish they were there! A destination like, Hawaii, Arizonas iconic canyons, the woods, boats / yachts, a waterfall, is bound to leave everyone stunned.

#9. Plan a Bachelor Nation Wedding- I have watched Bachelor Nation since I can remember - I adore all of the couples that have come from it - Ben and Jessica, Colton and Cassie, Kaitlyn and Jason, JoJo and Jordan... Planning their wedding would be an absolute dream, so if you guys are reading this - feel free to email us and we will rock your world! We promise it will not be "the most dramatic wedding ever..."

#8. European Destination Wedding- Give me an Eiffel Tower, a Gondola entrance, an Italian Garden, a Castle - anything with the word destination in it, I'm booking my flight! This would give us a chance to bond with different vendors, check out the norm for weddings and learn about new cultures - which we love! This has always been a dream because it would be so different than any wedding we've ever done. I would make sure that my name was forever known in that country!

#7. Have a Famous Singer- Who wants a DJ / Band when you can have a famous singer on your wedding day!!! This idea is super cool and unique - it could be a surprise for your guests, it could be a gift to the bride from the groom, it could be planned, either way it is bound to blow your guests socks off. Image walking into the ceremony and you see Rascal Flatts as the band or John Legend singing your first dance song... Alright - where do I sign up for this?

#6. Do a Celebrity's Wedding- We have done this and boy is it so much fun! We did NBA player, Gerald Henderson Jr. who had a jam-packed basketball celebrity wedding party including; Wayne Ellington, Kemba Walker, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith. As Gerald said, "You ladies do great work. Our day surpassed any and every expectation that I could of had!" So celebs, we are available and ready for more!

#5. A Cool Exit - We love all of the vintage cars with the cans tied to the back of them, but how cool would it be to have your exit in a Porsche, a helicopter, jet ski / boat, a hot air ballon? Whatever cool exit you want - we will make it happen for you!

#4. A Double Wedding - We're thinking this could be cool for siblings or best friends to do... We've never done one and have never worked with anyone who has done one - so being the first would be awesome for us (we'd only brag a little...) Double the photos, double the love and double the fun!

#3. A NO Budget Wedding- This was one of the most amazing weddings we've ever done and was so much, SO MUCH fun! This private estate in Newtown Square, PA got completely transformed into a Firefly themed fairytale. This wedding had 10 canvas tipi tents. Each tent had different cultured foods inside - American, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, German... There were 2 photo booths, a dance floor in the middle of the lawn, a light-up pool, 4 different lounge areas, 10 luxurious tents for overnight guests, a food truck that came in the middle of the night, and a huge brunch the next morning.

#2. Themed Wedding - We have done a hint of themed here and there, but we have never done a legit hardcore themed wedding and we'd love to! Halloween themed, Great Gatsby, Renaissance, Sports teams (Eagles), Disney etc. would be super cool to plan. We would have a ball with a wedding like this and the photos would be a dream!

#1. A Custom Design Wedding - To create a custom wedding with our own design, our own personal favorite vendors and everything is decided by us! The thought of this makes a wedding planners brain go in so many beautiful directions. We would ask some personal questions, design questions, likes and dislikes and then boom - create the most beautiful day and night of your life. Okay this may be my favorite bucket list item of all...

AH, this was so much fun to put together! Now we have to start crossing these off of our list - who wants to help us cross a few things off our list?

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Jessica and AJ

4/15/2020

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This wedding was such a breathe of fresh (sea) air. Jessica and AJ were so adorable and giddy throughout their day - no one had to force them to smile for a picture - as you can see from the below photos... They exchanged their "I Do's" at Saint Marys Church and continued their celebration at Bonnet Island Estate. The sophisticated color scheme, acrylic details, and florals put a classy feel on this black-tie, LBI Wedding.

This day was so perfect and we wish we could see their smiling faces all over again!

This exit was everything and made for the perfect photo-op! Everyone sees rice, flower petals and even sparklers - but who has ever done bubblers before? Love this!

This green wall was the perfect statement piece for this wedding. This is a great way to do your escort board as well as add a funky neon sign for flare! A little tip for all you engaged couples - when looking for a LED sign for your wedding day, buy something that you can re-use (in a man cave or a bar)!!

And to end... This photo-op was amazing! We love you Jessica & Andrew!

Venue: Bonnet Island Estate
Wedding Planner / Coordinator: Kyle Michelle Weddings
Photographer: M2 Photography
Videography: Stagger
Florist: Nancy Florals
Escort Green Wall: Kyle Michelle Weddings

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Lauren and Stuart

4/13/2020

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Lauren and Stuart live in the busy streets of New York City, but wanted the comfort and LOVE of Philadelphia so they went with The Crystal Tea Room for their special day. This wedding was classy and sophisticated in every way - from the champagne stationery to the ceremony and reception design. Not only was there love in the air between Lauren and Stuart, but the theme LOVE carried throughout their day - with an ice sculpture and LED sign.

Check out this wedding party too - they sure knew how to work it!

Um yes please... I'll take two! Question - can we have this in our house?? This champagne vending machine was so fun for the guests and a great photo opportunity!

The design was mainly white florals and greenery, with tons of draping and lots of champagne and gold accents - the hanging lights gave more of a fairytale look to the room. This ballroom was so simple, but everywhere you looked, it was absolutely radiant.