Greenville's Wedding Festival Show, January 3rd at the Hyatt

I just wanted to remind everyone that this Saturday is the wedding show. If you are planning to attend be sure and stop by our booth. I love to meet readers of my blog.

Attending the show is really exciting for brides and grooms. It can also be somewhat overwhelming. Avoid show burn out by following these easy steps:

Have in mind what you are looking for. Don’t let every pretty thing you see sway your plans.

Vendors will have lots of “sign up now for a discount” offers. Unless you have done your homework and know that this is the vendor you want to hire, don’t be pushed into a decision. Ask for a day or two to get back to them. This will allow you some time to go home, review things and check references. Sure you may lose out on the vendor, but better losing out than hiring a vendor that turns out to not be what you want.

Wear comfortable shoes, this is not the time to bring out the stilettos. You are going to be doing lots of walking and standing.

Stop by every booth you’re interested in and pick up their information. Yes, you are given a bride’s bag when you arrive at the show, but be aware vendors had to pay to put their information in that bag. Not every vendor’s info will be included. So go by the booths and pick up the information. Do not count on it being in the bag.

Print out your email, address and phone number on a sheet of stickers. Instead of having to take time to fill in each give away card, you just slap on a sticker and go.

Speaking of email addresses, be sure you set up a new email account to give to wedding vendors. You don’t want all those “hire me” emails coming to your personal account. Make one you use only for the wedding.

See you at the show!

Time to Do A Little More Trimming - Trimming Your Guest List

Now that all the tree trimming is done. Let’s talk about another kind of trimming, trimming your guest list. This is a question that comes up with just about every one of the brides I meet with. You can’t afford to invite everyone to your wedding so just where do you make the cut?

Two things you need to do right away, decide on your budget and find out just how many people your site can hold. Both of these determine the number of people you can invite. Try to figure out your cost per head. Remember to include not only food cost, but the cost of alcohol, invitations, and cake. More people means more tables, more linens and more centerpieces.

Once you have an idea of cost, decide how many total guests you can invite. Next compile a master list of the people you and your fiancé want to invite. Add to this list those people your parents want to come and the ones his parents want to invite. Organize your list by categories: family, work friends, school friends, wedding party, etc. This way if you decide to cut all work friends from your list, you can easily do it across the board.

You can also cut your list down by asking a few questions. Have we seen this person in the last year? Is this a relative that would be deeply offended? Are we inviting dates? How about children? The best rule of thumb is either all or none. If you invite one person’s children and not someone else’s you are asking for trouble. Same applies with relatives. If you invite one aunt you better invite them all. You don’t have to invite dates, only the people that are in long term relationships. But if you don’t invite dates, make sure there will be lots of singles there. You don’t want you best dateless friend leaving early because she has no one to dance with.

Want a secret to cutting down on your list? Don’t have the wedding on Saturday, have it on a Friday afternoon and I can almost assure you that your “will not attend” count will increase.

Summit Pointe Conference and Events Center

I was invited earlier this week to tour Summit Pointe, by the very sweet Jennifer Rowe. Jennifer is their Director of Sales. This was the first time I had been to Summit Pointe and it was worth the trip.

Summit Pointe is located in Spartanburg, an easy drive down I-85. The site has two beautiful ballroom areas perfect for your ceremony or reception. There is a nice outdoor area, front lawn and lobby area, ideal for the cocktail hour. The conference center is adjacent to Hampton Inn and Suites, so hotel rooms for your out of town guests would not be a problem. Also, there is plenty of parking, which is very important in choosing your reception site.

They have an onsite catering staff and a pretty extensive menu to choose from. So if you are looking for an event venue in the Spartanburg area be sure to check it out.

Weddings Lead World in Clones

David's Bridal

Science is way behind the wedding industry, at least as far as clones are concerned. Brides have been cloning bridesmaids for centuries. Each bridesmaid in the same dress, same hair, same jewelry and even same shoes has been the way of weddings for years. It started as a plan to fool evil spirits by not letting them easily pick out the bride. It has continued as a way to make sure bridesmaids did not outshine the bride, I believe.

Well the good news is we are slowly moving away from the clone bridesmaid and into an era of truly finding what looks good on the girls and what they feel good in. “But, how do I do this and still have some unity to my overall plan” you ask? Start with unity in design but maybe not color. Pick the designer and the material, but let your girls pick their color. Pick one color, say pink, but allow your girls to pick the shade of that color that best suits them. Or maybe you pick the designer, color and the material, but let each girl find the silhouette they are most comfortable in. Some may prefer halter tops, some strapless and others sweetheart necklines with capped sleeves. The idea is there is a sense of unity without producing a row of clones.

You can alter the skirt lengths among your girls. It used to be the rule that all dresses were long. Not today, today you can have short, tea length, long, or mix them all up. If some of the girls have great legs and want to show them, let them. If some prefer to cover up their legs, fine. Maybe go with short skirts for the girls and long for the maid of honor. Get the idea?

Same for hair, not every girl wants her hair up, or looks good with her hair up. The idea is to clean up their looks, but not make them into clones on the wedding day. Don't worry, they will not outshine the beautiful bride on her day, no matter how they are dressed.

Fascinating Fascinators

Absolutely Gorgeous

Ever wonder what those gorgeous little bits of tulle, feathers and bling delicately angled on the bride’s head is called. Well it is called a fascinator. A tiny piece of millinery attached to the hair, by a comb, clip or headband. Once all the rage, they had fallen out of popularity until recently when they began experiencing quite the come back.

Jennifer Behr

We are seeing them quite often now, worn in the place of a long cumbersome veil. If you’re looking for something a little different with a slight vintage feel, this may be just the thing. There are scores of places online where you can purchase them. Check it out.

Being Beautiful on Your Wedding Day

The Knot

We talked about hair yesterday; let’s talk a little about makeup today. Yesterday, we said don’t make any drastic changes to your hair before the wedding. The same holds true for your makeup.

Don’t change how you do your makeup for your wedding. If you never wear a lot of makeup, don’t wear a lot on your wedding day. I know some people think you need more for pictures, but this isn’t true with today’s cameras. So there is no need to pile the makeup on for the wedding day. You want to look back at your pictures in twenty years and see a classic elegant bride. Stay away from trends and bright colors. Save the blue eye shadow for the club, not the wedding.

The one thing you do need to look out for is shine. A shinny face drives photographers crazy. Be sure to blot your face and skip the shinny foundation or eye makeup.

I always suggest my brides have someone do their makeup that knows how to do it for photographing. This is not the same as getting it made up for just any day (hence the shinny info). A good makeup artist will know how to apply the makeup for a fresh dewy look that stands up to the heat and excitement of the day.

If you are having someone else do your makeup it goes without saying to have a test run done. Many brides chose their portrait day as a good day for this. This way you get to see the makeup with the dress and veil on. Also, you will know if the photographer is having any problems photographing it.

Remember, right before the wedding is not the time to go have a facial, or to change to a new brand of makeup. Make any changes at least a month before the wedding, so if there is any breakout or redness it has time to clear up before the big day.

How to Have a Great Hair Day On Your Wedding Day

The Knot

Let’s talk a minute about wedding hair. Next to picking the right dress, the bride worries most about the right way to wear her hair on the wedding day. After seeing more than my fair share of brides, here are my suggestions.

Don’t go to great lengths to grow your hair out for the wedding. Wear it in a style you are used to wearing, or at least a cleaned up version of that style. Changing your hair drastically for a wedding is just begging to be unhappy with your hair on the wedding day. Your fiancée loves the way your hair is everyday, don’t make him wonder who this girl coming down the aisle is. Don’t make huge changes.

Try your style out before the wedding day. I tell my brides to have their hair done for their portraits exactly as they plan to wear their hair on the wedding day. If it doesn’t work you still have time to change it before the wedding. Having it done for the portrait, also ensures seeing how the hair works with the veil and the dress. I have had girls that so hated their hair, we did their portrait pictures over. Portraits can be done over, weddings can not.

If your wedding is outside, seriously consider the updo. There is a reason that updo’s have remained steadfastly popular over the years. Neither wind nor heat, affects most updo’s. The same can not be said for leaving your hair long and loose. Nothing removes curls faster than wind or heat. Not to mention the frizz that dampness brings out in some girls hair. I have seen many a stringy haired bride by the end of an evening of heavy dancing. With a well done updo, your hair looks as beautiful at the end of the evening for those send off pictures as it did when you walked down the aisle. If you just can’t live with the idea of an up do, maybe an elegant pony tail would work for you.

The Knot

And not all hair is about the bride. Make sure your groom gets his haircut at least a week before the wedding. If the cut is not perfect, it has a few days to grow out. If he is going from a longer style to shorter, he has a chance for his tan to match up. Nothing is quite as strange looking as a tanned groom with a very white scalp showing through.

How to Have All Your Wedding Questions Answered

Thinking you can’t afford a planner and will just ask a friend to help out? Have a friend that wants to one day be a planner and offers to help? Maybe you feel sure you and your Mom can handle everything needed that day. Well if any of these are you, you might want to think about our Ask The Expert Package. If you purchase this package we will meet with you and your friend or mother, whoever will be handling the planner’s duties on that day. We will cover all the things they are going to need to know to make your wedding day flow with ease. We will talk about timelines, seating, the best way to handle rehearsals, processionals and recessionals. We will cover what happens during the reception and what happens when everything is over. I can not stress how important this knowledge is in making your wedding day a success.

For more information, check out our website. Call us to set up an appointment.

Come Be My Friend

Guess what? I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I’d love for you to come by and make me your friend.

What You Need To Know About Thank You Notes

Let’s talk about writing thank you cards. You’ll have thank you’s to send out for shower gifts, wedding gifts and at this time of year Christmas gifts. So what are the rules for thank you notes and when should they be written.

The rule you will hear quoted most often is for gifts given before the wedding you have two weeks to get the thank you out and no, you can not wait till after the wedding to open the gift or write the thank you. People want to know that their gift was received. For gifts received after the wedding you have up till two months to send the thank you. My suggestion, don’t put them off. Write them as soon as you open the gift and before you use it or put it away. It doesn’t get used until the thank you note is written.

Now what are the other rules for thank you notes?
1) They must be handwritten. No you can not type an email, no you can not just use a fill in the blanks form. These people took time and money to choose you a gift, the least you can do is write a note.
2) You should always include a reference to the gift in your note and an expression of your appreciation for the gift.
3) You can choose from dozens of different kinds of thank you notes. They can match your wedding stationary, they can be completely different. It doesn’t really matter. The only rule is you can't use your married initials or monogram until after the wedding.

We actually used our engagement picture on the front of the notes, that we ordered through Shutterfly. It was quite the crowd pleaser. People that had never met my husband enjoyed seeing a picture of us.

Thank you notes are not the most fun part of getting married, but they are an important part. It's not such an awful job if you don't put it off.

Flower Trends for 2009

The Nocturne Trend

Yesterday, I told you about the UBA meeting I recently attended. The speaker at that meeting was Kristi Podsiadlo from Dahlia a Florist here in Greenville. She did a great presentation on color and theme trends for 2009. These trends come from The California Cut Flower Commission.

According to Kristi, the key influences of the trends will be handcrafted, wood, oversized and metallic. These influences will be found in the five top trends for the upcoming year.

They are Chinoiserie – a French term for the interpreting of the Chinese style from the 17th century. This is seen in single bloom arrangements. A simplicity of style where the beauty is in the simplicity and precision.

Nomad – bright colors with tribal handicraft influences. Designs have a woven feel with all the colors of a bazaar.

Whisper – This is the influence of hushed tones. Neutrals and texture are important. Flowers have a very unarranged feeling.

Nocturne – this is your over the top look, opulent and luxurious with a dark edge to it. Deep rich colors with dark feathers are often used. Lots of shimmer and glittery elements. It is an updated baroque style.

Habitat – this is your woodsy feel, lots of mosses, nests, vines and wood. Things found in nature. Items under glass are important in this design. It has a slightly scientific feel to it.

Which one of these trends speaks to you? Use that as a starting point in deciding on your style for your wedding.

Upstate Bridal Association and How It Affects You as a Bride

Last night we attended the December meeting of the Upstate Bridal Association. We have been a member of this organization for a good many years now. I really enjoy these meetings. Each time I learn something new from the presentations provided. The UBA is made up of some of the best wedding vendors in the upstate. Members have to be recommended to join, and then they have to be reviewed by the executive committee before they are allowed to join. Members are required to abide by a code of ethics and professionalism.

Now how does this affect you as the bride to be? Well when you start your quest for good, honest, reputable vendors this gives you an excellent place to begin your search. Is the vendor you’re interested in a member? You can find out online. If they are members, you know you are looking at someone that is in this business to stay, someone with a good reputation, years of experience behind them and a connection to other vendors in the business. All of these qualities are what you want when hiring vendors for your special day. Check it out.

Orchid Eye Candy

Orchids are so beautiful. Who doesn’t love them? Budget wise they are all over the place, cheap to outrageously expensive. Ask your florist for ideas if you love them as much as I do.

What to Know Before Choosing Your Flower Girl or Ring Bearer

Picture this, the little two year old flower girl floating down the aisle, dressed in puffy layers of satin and lace, gently dropping petals as she goes. During the ceremony, she stands quietly next to the maid of honor, with her tiny thumb in her mouth, awed by all the grandeur. Seem like a movie; well it is…because that just does not happen in real life. Believe me I have sent enough little girls and boys down the aisle to know.

Want to know what I’ve seen? How about the flower girls that screamed bloody murder and would not go down the aisle no matter how much bribing we did. Or the one that refused to wear her shoes (ok, not that bad, but still), the ones that walked all over the stage during the ceremony, tugging on the bride, groom and minister. There was the ring bearer that screamed to be picked up by the groom during the wedding. Even better we had a flower girl that sat on the stage and tore her kissing ball to shreds during the service. There was the flower girl that tossed her basket into the stream running by the ceremony. I’ve seen a ring bearer use his pillow for an air plane, engine noises included. Need I go on? I think you get the picture.

I’m not against children in the wedding, if it is handled correctly. You can believe that I had advised each of the brides in the above scenarios not to have a flower girl that young or at least not have them up front during the ceremony. Did they listen; no…did they wish later they had…oh yeah.

If you want to be the complete center of attention, skip the children. They can’t help being the center of attention. If sharing the spotlight is ok with you, then follow these rules.

1) No children under 3 years of age (at 3 they need to be really mature).
2) Have them walk down the aisle, but be seated with Mom or Dad, or Grandma at the front. Do not have them standing at the front during the ceremony.

3) Do not expect the very young children to walk down the aisle alone. Place the ring bearer or flower girl together, there is courage in numbers. Or send them down the aisle with a junior bridesmaid or the maid of honor.
4) Ring bears DO NOT carry the real rings unless they are 7 or older and even then I’m against it.

Having small children in the wedding is one of those things that are great to imagine, pretty in pictures and the movies, but a huge gamble in real life.

Wedding In Progress

I found these cute “Wedding in Progress” signs on the Anna Griffin site. These would be perfect if you are having your ceremony in a public space or hotel space with several events going on at the same time. I know we have, on more than one occasion, had to ask people in the area outside the ceremony to quiet down. Really makes you wonder about people doesn’t it.

Another Wedding Centerpiece

I am seeing this idea turning up in a lot of magazines (this is from Better Homes and Gardens) and I think it’s great. To make, just take two glass cylinders; place the smaller cylinder inside the larger one. Use fake snow and cedar, (in this example) between the two cylinders. Put a votive into the inner cylinder and presto a great centerpiece for your table. Think of all the possibilities, sand and shells between the cylinders for a summer or beach wedding, flower petals for a spring wedding, grapes and twigs for a wine themed wedding, orange and gold leaves for a fall wedding. A great affordable idea for your wedding tables.

Christmas Wedding Centerpiece

How beautiful is this floral Christmas tree? Wouldn’t it be just perfect for your Christmas wedding? I would use it on the escort card table or maybe on a buffet. I love that it is not the traditional Christmas colors or flowers. For those brides that want a Christmas wedding without using the standard red and green colors it would be a wonderful touch. You can find out more about it in this month’s Southern Living.

Which Arm Does Your Wedding Escort Offer?

Nothing is more hotly contested during the rehearsal than which arm does the man offer to the lady during the walk down the aisle. The answer is either side is correct. For generations it has been the gentleman offers his left arm. But that has all changed for today's weddings.

In the weddings we direct, we use the rule, brides side on the left, grooms side on the right (unless it is a Jewish ceremony), so ladies on the left, men on the right. This way there is none of that shuffling to switch sides at the end of the walk for groomsmen and bridesmaids. Also, when the bride walks in on the left side with her father on the right, he is in place to hand her off to the groom. Once again, the flow is everything in a well put together ceremony.

As far as seating guests before the ceremony, I tell groomsmen and ushers to offer the lady which ever arm she walks up on. No reason to freak the groomsmen out with one more thing to worry about. As long as everyone gets seated we’re good.

Getting Down The Aisle

Next we need to talk about how the people in your processional get down the aisle and back up for the recessional. By that I mean, who will escort them down the aisle and back up. Now I know a few people don’t see the need for escorts, but every time and I do mean every time, I have seen this done, it ends up a mess.

An escort is the usher or groomsman that is assigned to walk your grandmother or mother down the aisle. You say “but can’t my dad walk her down the aisle” and the answer is yes he can, but, remember instead of waiting in the room with you helping to calm your nerves and having a tender father/daughter moment with you, he will be in line with your mother, walking her down the aisle, seating her and going back up the aisle and running to get back in line with you, not very calming for your dad or you. So I suggest having a groomsman, if your brother is one, that’s a good choice, escort your mother or your grandmother down the aisle.

This same escort will return after the wedding is over to escort your mother or grandmother (whoever he escorted in, back out). Now I know some planners do not use escorts to bring the mothers back out and let me say again, this always ends up a mess. The mothers forget when they need to walk out, or the grandmothers forget. The guests don’t know what to do, when grandma is just sitting there and not getting up. See my point? A mess just waiting to happen.

So choose an escort to walk your grandmother down the aisle, your grandfather will follow behind. Same goes for the moms, escort walks her down, followed by dad if he is not walking you down the aisle. Same escort returns at the end of the ceremony and walks her out with dad following behind.

There is reason and order in tradition.

Exactly What is the Processional and How Does It Work?

The processional is the term for the seating of your most honored guests and then the entrance of the actual wedding party. The order we have found that works best for Protestant weddings (this does vary somewhat depending on your part of the United States) is :
Grandparents (groom’s, then brides)
Groom’s parents
Bride’s mother (father is escorting bride). If there is a stepmother, she can either lead off the procession or go before the groom’s mother.
Officiant
Groom
Bestman
(The Officiant, Groom and Bestman can enter either down the aisle or from a side entrance at the front of the ceremony)
Groomsmen
Bridesmaids
(The groomsmen can enter either separately, in pairs, or escorting bridesmaids, it is your choice)
Maid or Matron of Honor
Ring Bearer
Flower Girl (or junior bride)
Bride and her Escort (normally her father)


If you are having the rather new trend of honoraries, they enter at the start of the processional, go to the front side pews and or either seated or stand until the end of the processional.

If you are using ushers along with your groomsmen, they follow the honoraries down the aisle or can stay at the back of the ceremony site (your choice). I always suggest leaving at least two at the back to open and close the doors for the bride’s entrance.

Remember the rule is, closer to the bride the more honored the position.

More tomorrow.

Walking Down The Aisle

Brides spend hours and hours deciding on flowers, dresses, colors, but I am amazed at the little time or thought that is put into the actual ceremony. The “who will walk who” down the aisle, or the “who will be seated where” for the ceremony plan.

Traditionally, there is an exact plan of how all the processional and seating is done. If it is done correctly, it will flow like a well rehearsed ballet. It is actually quite beautiful to watch. It’s one of my favorite parts of the wedding. Seeing handsome groomsmen in their elegant tuxes escorting a mother or grandmother to or from her seat or the flow of the wedding party gliding down the aisle, it literally brings a tear to my eye, when done correctly. If done incorrectly, it can quickly turn into one big embarassing mess.

This plan for getting a wedding party down the aisle has been refined from generations of use. Each element not only looks beautiful, but works. Each element has a reason. That is what we are going to discuss over the next few days, the how’s and why’s of getting your wedding party down the aisle.

Yes, I understand that you’re not a “traditional” kind of bride and you want to put your own stamp on your wedding. That’s great. But before you go changing tradition, let’s talk about how things are done and why.

Tomorrow we will talk about the processional and how it works.

A Video Trailer of Jill and Matt's Wedding

Corey of Siahgphx Video hard at work

Remember a few weeks ago, I wrote about the beautiful wedding of Jill and Matt that Willrich Bridal helped to produce. Well, Corey Richards over at Siahgphx sent me a link to the video trailer his company did of the wedding. You can view it here . It is fantastic. Thanks so much Corey for sharing.

Greer, SC City Hall Event Center

On Thursday night I was invited to the grand opening of another new event venue. This is a good thing since the upstate area is so short on venue locations. Especially locations that allow you to bring in your own caterer. This venue is located in the heart of downtown Greer, SC in of all places the new Greer City Hall building and it is top of the line.

Acccording to the invitation I received, "The Events Center is located on the second floor of the New City Hall building. This beautiful facility has three multipurpose rooms, each about 1500 square feet. This space is great for banquets, business meetings, wedding receptions and so much more. Each room is separated by retractable walls allowing for 4500 square feet for larger events. Rooms are supported by state of the art audio/visual technology and a caterer’s kitchen."

I took some pictures so you could see what the event areas look like. The setup for the event was provided by:

Bridal Network
Upstate Wedding and Event Services
Dahlia Florists

Bagatelle Caterers
Purple Kitchen
Jumping Jukebox
Thomas Creek Brewery
City of Greer
Cheers! To You

Buying Your Wedding Dress

Yesterday, I spent most of my day wedding dress shopping with one of my brides. I love wedding dresses. I love all the different styles, colors, textures and shapes. I think if I wasn’t a planner I would own a bridal shop. Nothing is more fun than helping a bride find her dream dress.

Remember when trying to find your dress, bring along shoes that are at least close to the height you intend to wear on your wedding day. Wear a strapless bra to make trying on different styles easier. No dress looks good with bra straps hanging out.

Don’t take too many people with you. Too many opinions will just confuse you. Your mom, your best friend, sister or maybe your planner is more than enough.

Try to go dress shopping during the week. Weekends are crowded and really just dreadful for making such a big decision. Take a camera, to get pictures of the contenders. Some shops don’t allow pictures, so ask first. But to tell the truth, I’d stay away from shops that don’t allow pictures.

Always ask what is their best price on the dress. They just might surprise you with a manager’s special. As my dad always said “it’s easier to talk for it, than to work for it”.

The Importance of Knowing What Other Events Are Ocurring on Your Wedding Day

Ok, we have talked about this before but I think it is important enough to mention again and I saw a prime example while on vacation.

When planning your wedding be sure to ask the site if anything else is going on the same day as your wedding. This can be other weddings, sporting events, festivals, races, anything that will affect the amount of people or traffic at your wedding site. After you talk to the site, be sure to contact your chamber of commerce and check with them too.

We were at Biltmore House as part of our mini vacation. It was the opening day for all the Christmas decorations (which by the way are unbelievably beautiful) and the place was packed. In the midst of this there were two brides trying to take their pictures. One was doing wedding pictures, the other portrait pictures.

I first saw the portrait bride trying to change clothes in a crowded public restroom. I felt really bad for her, she looks so harried. Later I saw her on the front patio of the house, freezing and irritated. The second bride was with her wedding party on the lawn trying to get pictures as shuttles were pulling in and out and estate guests were milling about. I can’t imagine how they could have pictures without strangers in the background (unless the photographer is really good at photoshop). I know things were not turning out the way the bride had pictured it at all.

So word to the wise, know what is going on at your site on your chosen day and make your plans accordingly!

The Mini Vacation - A Must for the Stressed Out Wedding Blues

This weekend a miracle happened. Richard and I finally went on a vacation. Ok, it was a mini weekend vacation, but still a vacation. It was a chance for us to get away and reconnect. I couldn’t tell you the last time we got to go away.

A mini getaway is great for anyone, especially the bride and groom in the middle of wedding planning. If you’re at the point where you can’t remember why you are getting married, especially to “that man”, then you need a mini vacation. Nothing brings on wedding burnout quicker for the bride and the groom, than spending all your time stressing over your upcoming nuptials, or in my case, planning over a dozen weddings in the past few months.

Mini vacations don’t have to be anything fancy, especially since you are already stressing over that budget (isn’t everyone). Just a quiet weekend away, where (and Richard made this rule) the word wedding is not allowed. Tough but doable. I hope you have as good a time as I did.

Paying Delivery Fees - Smarter Than You May Think

There are places to save money when planning a wedding and places where it is best to pay up. An example of when to pay up is the florist delivery fee. I will explain this by telling you a true story that happened to a gentleman that one of my assistants happens to know.

His wife and daughter decided to save money on the florist delivery fee and just have dear old dad do the pick up and delivery. No problem right? Wrong, first of all Dad heard nothing about this plan until the wedding day. As the girls headed out to get hair and makeup done, dad was told he needed to go pick up the flowers at the florist and set them out at the church and reception.

Well, off he goes to the florist in his little Toyota Camry. When he arrives at the florist's he is met with disbelief. Surely, he knew he would need a van to carry all the flowers? No he did not. The florist reminds the dad that she is not responsible for any broken or damaged flowers. At this point, Dad no longer cared. He just needed them in the car. So they start shoving flowers in to every empty spot in the car. Finally, he gets loaded for the first of several trips and heads to the church. Several hours and trips later, he has the church and reception flowers set up with just minutes to spare.

After running to change and then walking his daughter down the aisle, he thinks it is time for him to relax and join the party…not quite. As they are headed out the church, his wife announces that he needs to stay and clean up the church. All the flowers need to be removed and petals cleaned off the aisle as required by the church.

So poor old dad starts cleaning up, meanwhile he is missing the cocktail hour, the grand entrance and the start of dinner at his only daughter’s wedding. All done for the sake of saving less than $100.00.

Word to the wise, pay the delivery fees, it is so worth it.

Married Name Change - Voter's Registration

I ran into a “new bride” problem while voting today. It turns out that somehow when doing all the name changing after my own wedding; I forgot to change my voter’s registration to my new name. I was concerned that they wouldn’t let me vote. Turns out, that since I had my driver’s license with the same address as my voter’s registration, it was ok. So, word to wise, don’t forget to change your voter’s registration.

My Fair Wedding

So have you guys watched David Tutera’s My Fair Wedding yet? What did you think?

If only it was that easy to tell a bride “what are you thinking?” There have been girls that I really, really wanted to say “you’re kidding, right”. But it’s not my “dream” wedding, it’s theirs and my job is to make it happen for them. Now, that doesn’t mean I haven’t tried to gently steer some brides way from oceans of tulle and pink or some other over done fad. Still, it is their wedding and their day to be happy.

I have friends that know David and say he is a really nice guy. I’m sure he is, he comes across that way on the screen. But my problem with the show is, he is not improving their wedding using their original budget. He is adding thousands and thousands of dollars to their budget to make their wedding beautiful. I’d like to see what he can do, when he has to stick to the bride’s original budget. I worry that there are brides out there that think you can go from a fake flower centerpiece to hundreds of roses, all for the same price, if you have the right planner. Well that only happens if your planner has a David Tutera wallet or a fairy godmother with a very good wand.

Watch and enjoy!

A Dress Perfect For The Second Wedding

Mathew Imaging/WireImag

I love this dress by Reem Acra. The twist front and jewel capped sleeves are so beautiful. Wouldn’t it be perfect for a second wedding?

Keeping In Touch

How cute is this Christmas card from one on my past brides. What a good use of those wedding pictures.

I ran into one of my past brides in the grocery store a couple of days ago. (Hi Joy!) It’s always so good to hear from my brides. It is amazing how close you get to the bride and groom and their families when you plan a wedding. It’s always a little sad when the wedding is over, because I know I won’t be hearing from them as often as before.

A lot of my brides do keep me up to date on what is happening in their lives. I get emails and Christmas cards and even baby announcements. It’s so great to be an important part of so many people's lives.