Hi, friends! Last Wednesday was another week of Vacation Bridal School, and it was my first time joining the party! If you haven’t been to a session yet, I highly recommend it for any of you engaged ladies or couples out there. There were so many amazing vendors that came out last week, and we are so grateful for each of them! Working in the wedding industry at Twirl Boutique, I was familiar with a few of these vendors but this session really helped me understand what all goes into planning a wedding. A common misconception of Bridal School, – “I shouldn’t come if I already booked my DJ, venue, florist, etc.” The vendors are aware some brides will not need their assistance, but they still offered a lot of helpful tips and advice that could be useful even if you’re not using their particular service.
The first vendor of the night was speaking about how to rock your reception with great music. The DJ was KY Sounds and he gave everyone awesome information about his past experiences with what works and what doesn’t. For example, if your taste in music is a little less mainstream maybe you should consider some mainstream songs for your reception so people are more comfortable getting on the dance floor. He also gave us some great tips about guest requests (give a list of DO NOT plays). Grandma doesn’t want to hear those explicit lyrics!
Next up we had a glam squad to tell us about the do’s and don’ts for wedding makeup and jewelry. The lovely Camilla from The Birdcage Makeup Studio taught us about the importance of hiring a professional for your special day. She has been in the business a long time, y’all! From personal experience I can tell you, she’s wonderful. She pulls inspiration from what you tell her about the vision for your wedding. Her motto? “It’s your day!” She’s all ears.
To go hand in hand with your makeup, we had Natalie from Southern Belle Glitz talk about jazzing up your look with some beautiful bridal jewelry! At Twirl we display some of the pieces from her boutique for brides to try on when picking out their gown because they are gorgeous, y’all! These jewels take your dress and overall look to the next level. She was also sweet enough to bring three pairs of earrings for the ladies in bridal school to win if they answered a trivia question correctly. Needless to say, we had three happy ladies leaving that night! 
After the beauty tutorial we learned about flowers and venues. These are two things brides stress out about the most, (I learned from the questions in the crowd). Brittany, owner of Warrenwood Manor educated us about the logistics of venues, especially outdoor venues. She made sure everyone understood the importance of electricity and bathrooms, which, surprisingly, a lot of people don’t really think about when booking a venue. Also, the dreaded W word. Weather plays a big role in outdoor weddings, and in Kentucky you just never know what you’re gonna get! She taught us to always think about logistics and back up plans, and to book a venue that has all of those accommodations included so you’re not spending an arm and a leg buying generators and portable bathrooms (yikes)!
Our friends from Fields in Bloom share with us all about the trends in the floral industry and even brought some sample bouquets! I had no idea there was so much to know about flowers, but prices, flowers in season, sizes of bouquets, and vases, it all matters. We adored both bouquets she brought to share with us, and even gave them away at the end of the night so one of our sweet brides. Ivory and greenery never goes out of style, (neither do free gifts)!
Last, but certainly not least, we had Tinker’s Cake Shop. That was a real treat (seriously, we got cake)! Cameron from Tinker’s talked all things sweet. What I gathered, other than the white cake with raspberry filling is to die for, is that cake is not something to brush under the rug! Cake tastings are something to keep in mind. Tinker’s allows up to 5 members to come to a tasting and recommends you already know which flavors you may be interested in. Let us be the first to tell you, you can’t go wrong!
Overall, we had a very successful Vacation Bridal School and learned so many helpful tips for your special day! Thanks for reading and hopefully we’ll see you at the studio this week for more exciting information, free food and door prizes!
