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San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway!

Think you have a good “Love Story”? The 2010 San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway – a 100% donated wedding philanthropy project put on by over 40 of San Francisco’s top wedding and travel vendors – is looking for one very deserving couple.

If you are legal residents of the United States and 21 years or older, then you are eligible to win a platinum-style, high-end wedding! Valued at $100,000.00, the lucky couple will get to experience the wedding of their dreams. Over 40 of the Bay Area’s most sought-after wedding professionals have gathered forces create a lavish wedding at Hotel Vitale, one of San Francisco’s most luxurious hotels, for the winning couple along with 75 of their friends and family.

Afterwards, the winners will head to Milliken Creek Inn in Napa, CA for a three-night honeymoon to include dinner on board the Napa Valley Wine Train, spa treatments and a private lunch and winery tour at Robert Mondavi Winery.

Liz Guthrie, the contest producer, and owner of San Jose Wedding Consultants, LLC says, “Weddings are expensive, and many people cannot afford a lavish wedding, especially given the state of the economy. We wanted to offer something back to the community that has been so good to us over the years, and the 2010 San Francisco Dream Wedding seemed like the perfect opportunity.”

The contest closes Nov 25th, 2009. The top five finalists will be announced on December 26th. The winner will be announced on Valentine’s Day, 2010. The wedding is set for May 14, 2010.

Visit www.sfweddinggiveaway.com to enter online.

Liz Guthrie is a member of the prestigious Association of Bridal Consultants, the nation’s oldest and most recognizable program for accredited wedding consultants, Liz is one of the few Certified Wedding Consultants (CWC) in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Plan the Perfect New Year’s Eve Wedding

New Year’s Eve is one of the best times of the year to pop the big question, and it can be an even better time to plan a wedding you’ll never forget.  Here are our suggestions on how to plan the perfect New Year’s Eve wedding:

Step 1

Reserve your ceremony and reception locations. Be aware many venues may be reserved for New Year’s Eve parties. Try to make reservations more than a year in advance, if possible. Schedule the times for night, starting your reception at around 8:00 so your guests will be there at midnight to ring in the new year.  If you’re still trying to decide on a venue, take a look at our Dallas wedding reception venues.

Step 2

Inform guests well in advance with a save the date notification before sending invitations. Because it’s a holiday, many people may have standing plans or reservations they’ll need to cancel. Do this as soon as you have officially determined the date, aiming for at least 6 months in advance. If you’re looking for help sending out these save the dates, try our Dallas wedding invitation partners.

Step 3

Plan your food and drinks. Since guests will be eating later, it’s a good idea to just stick with hors devours and dessert for food. Mention in the invitation that guests should eat something beforehand and you’ll be serving snacks and appetizers since they’ll be eating later than usual. (Our catering partners can help you plan out all of the details.)  Make sure you include lots of champagne on your drink list, as well as coffee.

Step 4

Decide on wedding colors and attire. Having a wedding on New Year’s Eve is a good opportunity to do a black tie event. Everyone will enjoy the chance to dress up to ring in the year. Black, gold and silver are the colors typically associated with New Year’s, so use those if you can.

Step 5

Send invitations to your guests. Do this around 3 months in advance instead of the usual 2 month timeframe used for wedding invitations. Our wedding invitation partners can help you send out the ideal invitations.

Step 6
Plan your decorations and flowers for the wedding. When doing a black tie theme, red and white roses are a great choice for flowers. Include noise-makers, confetti and party  hats. Have a big clock or TV for the countdown.

Step 7

Purchase party accessories and favors to go with the New Year’s Eve theme. Good examples are personal champagne bottles, fortune cookies, a CD with the songs which were a hit during the past year, bells which say ring in the new year with (your names) or personalized calendars for the year to come (do it yourself or use the local copy shop).