Meet Wedology 101: Elizabeth Howard and The Cordial Cricket*

Today, we’re starting a series of Blog posts featuring our Wedology 101 team. While you will have the opportunity to meet them in person on August 15, Jenn and I wanted to do a little pre-event bragging, because we simply can’t help ourselves.

Elizabeth Howard was an easy choice, as I’ve had an industry crush on The Cordial Cricket since we met last summer. Not only do they carry only the most swoon worthy of items, but you know from the moment you walk in the door, that you’re in great hands. In addition to invitations, The Cordial Cricket can handle your programs, thank you notes, table numbers- they sky really is the limit.

And do keep in mind that I’m not only a bragger, but also a client. I thought I’d throw a bridal shower in the mix of what’s shaping up to be a busy summer. My wonderful friend, and co-hostess with the mostess, decided to take the lead on the invitations and I sent her running to The Cordial Cricket just days ago. Elizabeth accommodated our tight turnaround time with ease and has assisted us in ensuring this little soiree is

So enjoy your little sit down with Elizabeth below--

Why does The Cordial Cricket stand out from the rest?

The Cordial Cricket stands out from the rest for a couple of reasons. One being the close relationships we work to form with our brides. We are fortunate to have been able to foster very close relationships with the brides whom we've worked with over the years. We meet with them one-on-one to consult with them on all aspects of their wedding stationery from Save the Dates to invitations, programs, thank you notes, table cards, rehearsal dinner invites, ceremony accessories, you name it. We find out all about their wedding, which vendors they are using, which items they still need vendor recommendations for and even guide them with proper wedding etiquette advice. We become so much more than the store they purchased their wedding invitations. Using this consultative approach we have found that the brides trust us and reach out to us for advice throughout their entire wedding planning process. The second reason that we stand out from the rest is due to the etiquette expertise we are able to offer our brides. Elizabeth Howard, owner of The Cordial Cricket, will soon complete her etiquette consultant certification through The American School of Protocol. Most stores don't take things to this level. We offer the ability to work with certified etiquette professionals free of charge. We receive phone calls and questions from people daily on etiquette related matters, related not only to weddings, but entertaining, children's etiquette and much more. We consider it an extra value for all of our customers including our brides that they have us as this valuable resource. To top it all off, we carry many custom wedding invitation and stationery vendors that are not sold anywhere else in Virginia and work incredibly hard to keep our selection unique and not just offer items from mainstream manufacturers.

What is one of your favorite “bridal moments” over the years?

This is a very hard question, to pick just one moment! Since we are not with our brides at their actual weddings, our moments with them take place well before their events occur. We relish the moment with every bride we work when they see their final wedding invitation for the very first time. Another of our special bridal moments is that we have actually been invited to and attended the weddings of some of our brides, only after getting to know them while working with them in our store. We have been so touched by their desire to have us join them on their special day!

What is your biggest Wedding Day “Don’t”?

Our biggest wedding day don't is not to leave anything to the day of that has to be assembled, put together, etc. Brides are doing more DIY projects than ever before, both for budget reasons and simply because they are very creative ladies. We have sometimes heard horror stories about leaving projects until the day of or the night before and how stressful it becomes on not only the bride, but her wedding party family and friends.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing brides today with their wedding plans?

One of the biggest challenges facing brides today is the overwhelming amount of selection, options and information that they are presented with. We are certainly living in the information age more than ever before and brides are presented with so many choices and options to choose from whether at bridal shows, magazines, wedding blogs, their "been there, done that friends" who've gone before them, reality wedding TV shows and so much more. I think that brides can get so quickly overwhelmed with determining what they really want for their big day and lose some of their unique identity. Although the endless selection of options related to all things wedding is wonderful to have, brides should not feel obligated to review everything that is presented to them. Keeping it simple and keeping it their taste is most important.


What should a bride always have handy when planning her wedding?

A bride should always have handy her guest list in two formats. One with guests listed individually, which is most often the only list they have, and one version with their list by couple, invited group/household. You would be surprised how often they need to know other versions of the number of invited guests rather than just the total number of individuals. This is specifically important to us regarding ordering things like save the dates, wedding invitations and thank you notes.

If you had one piece of advice to share with our brides, what would it be?

The one piece of advice that we would share with brides is not to "over do it". With everything from invitations to favors to decor, it is very easy to "over do". One example being how more thoughtful favors like a donation to a favorite charity turn out making the biggest impact on your guests. Simple style is stunning and elegant, often understated touches go a very long way and do not require elaborate amounts of effort and cost.

To learn more about Elizabeth and The Cordial Cricket, please visit their web site as well as their great Blog. You can also find Elizabeth tweeting away at @cordialcricket

You can also meet Elizabeth at Wedology 101 coming up in four short weeks on August 15 at Wyndham Virginia Crossings.

Cheers,
Meghan


Meghan Ely is one part of the Wedology 101 team, and owner of OFD Consulting, a niche Marketing/PR firm servicing the wedding industry and the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association. She is a contributing writer with Virginia Bride magazine, and has been published in Premier Bride Richmond. She and Jennifer write a Wedology 101 column for the Richmond Times Dispatch's Celebration section. She loves late harvest sauvignon blancs, letterpress anything and cakes shaped like Death Stars.