You’re Engaged! Now What?

It’s that time of year, the Christmas Holidays. Traditionally in the Unites States and the UK more couples get engaged at this time of year than any other. This little statistic has stood for years and I doubt that this year will be any different. If you think there may be a tiny little box with a shiny bauble lurking under your tree I have some timely advice for you that may make the whole planning experience run a bit more smoothly.

DON’T TELL ANYONE! Ok well that may be a bit drastic since I know you will want to scream it from the rooftops but hear me out first.

From the moment you announce your engagement every single female that has ever loved you will want to plan your wedding. You will get more ‘helpful’ advice than at any time in your life with the exception of your first pregnancy. Inside every aunt, sister, cousin, BFF and most strangers lurks a frustrated event designer. Don’t even get me started on the Moms! Most likely your Mom has been planning your wedding in her head since the very day she found out she was carrying a girl in her womb. Yikes! Whose wedding is it anyway?

Well my dear, it is your wedding. This day belongs to you and the boy; grab hold and hang on to it. That is why I say don’t tell anyone; at least until you two have talked it over and gotten a vision of the wedding YOU TWO want.

I don’t mean plan the darn thing down to the baskets in the bathrooms. I mean get a broad generalization of what each of you has pictured for this day and reconcile those two images into a untied front with which to face the coming onslaught. That way when Mom utters the words Cathedral and Country Club you can honestly say “(the boy) and I have already decided on a garden wedding.” If you have a vision in mind you can deflect a lot of trouble in the future by staking claim to your wedding from the very beginning.

Just a little bit of wisdom from some one that has been there done that.

I Can’t Stop Laughing

I have to share a blog I just found –The Wedding Planner’s Blog. Terrica has a regular feature an Friday’s called New Rules.

I could not stop laughing. Terrica tells it like it is and says all those things that we poor souls that earn our living bringing wedding dreams to life think everyday. What’s more, she does it with a laser sharp attitude.

If you can read through the recent archives without tears running down your face from laughing so hard you are taking wedding planning way to seriously.

Thanks Tericca.

Wedding Day Transportation

One thing you don’t want to worry about is parking and traffic on your wedding day, right? The logical answer is to hire a car and leave those worries to some one else. Then comes the question of just what kind of car to hire.

A stretch limo has been the standard choice for years but now there are much better choices.

Last week I was at lunch with a group from the Association of Bridal Consultants and we had the chance to take a spin in one of the luxury coaches from Imagine Private Travel. Well let me tell you, they don’t just throw the word luxury around, this thing was fab~u~lous! Needless to say we girls got to talking and none of us liked stretch limos. Why you ask? Well because they are a pain in the tush to get in and out of. Considering how tough and unladylike it is in jeans one can only imagine how hard it will be with a wedding gown of mass proportions.

Leave the stretch limos to the prom kids. Now that we are all grown up let’s go for the real luxury!

Imagine Private Travel

Office (615) 790.7153, ext. 221

Traviata….the cake!

Just a bit of Sunday Sweetness.
Finally a self decorating wedding cake!
Now where were these when I was still creating wedding cakes?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDhHxIz83Ic&rel=1]

Fabulous Silk Sashes with a Heart

I have run across something that has captured my heart in a way that rarely happens.

This was first pointed out to me by Danielle on her blog Oh Happy! Go on take a minute to read her write up. All of us involved in weddings whether the bride or the professional are blessed in so many ways and yet sometimes we struggle finding a way to give back. Well here you go…

Rebecca at The White Aisle travels extensively during her slow months. On a recent trip to Cambodia she became involved with a project to help the young women, children really, that have been sold into the sex trade. Some of these girls had been sold by their parents as young as five, FIVE! The simple economics of life in Cambodia have kept them enslaved. Even if they were free to leave the brothels they are dependant on them as their sole source of food and shelter. Danielle writes” The most powerful way to make an impact on these childrens’ futures is to give them an alternative way to become self-sufficient. Rebecca is teaming up with an organization in Phnom Penh- which offers children the ability to come to their vocational training facilities to work during the day. Additionally, all workers are encouraged to sleep at the neighboring housing. Over time, this method has proved to be rather successful in generating independent and reformed women ready to re-enter “normal” society.”

So where do you come in? Take a look at the beautiful silk accessories in the images above. Rebecca has worked with these girls to help them create gorgeous sashes, ring pillows and fabric flowers using the native Khmer silks from their region. She will begin offering these December 1 on her site The White Aisle with ALL profits going back to the project. The more this grows the more children can be rescued. So far 23 girls have been able to leave the sex trade completely and move on to independent rewarding lives.

To all my friends out there: I sincerely hope that this has touched you as much as it has me. Look around you, look at your flower girl and tell me this isn’t a most worthy cause.

Finding Inspiration III

I thought that I would leave you with some inspiration for the long holiday weekend. The images above are all from my favorite floral designer, Vicki Sanders. She and her team at Branching Out are quickly becoming the most innovative and sought after event designers/florist in the South. Yes that is her on the bottom row.

A while back I clued you in on a wonderful rental company that I always seek out when I am in need of inspiration, Fabu. I also gave Sarah a whack of the pencil for not having a great website so I didn’t have to fight the traffic to get to her shop. Well great news, Sarah’s website now has an extensive catalog of fabulous thing that you can peruse to your hearts content. Not only that, but she has opened a new show room for the event rental side of her business to make viewing easier. Incidentally, if you like Sarah’s taste as much as I do you should check out her gift shop. With the holidays just around the corner I know I’ll be there at least a few times to find the perfect little gifts for everyone on my list.

DIY Invitations

If you are a regular reader of the Dish then you already know my philosophy on DIY projects for your wedding. I think they are a great idea as long as you do them in moderation. DIY is a great way to add a very personal touch to a very personal event. Where the trouble starts is when brides bite off more than they can chew and end up more stressed than necessary or they go bridezilla and turn everyone around them into indentured servants. So the key is to pick one project you love and give it your full attention and leave the rest to the pros.

Today’s project is invitations. Here is the breakdown of the national averages spent on the paper wardrobe according to TheWeddingReport.com.

  • Bridal shower invitations: $138
  • Wedding invitations and response cards: $455
  • Personal stationery: $187
  • Save the Date cards: $196
  • Thank-you notes: $127

That is a sweet little chunk of change and because it can all be done well in advance of the big day, unlike flowers or food, it makes it a perfect place to put your DIY skills. That is if you have any graphic skills, or at least it used to require that.

To the rescue comes PashWeddings.com and their free dowloadable wedding templates.

How cool is that? There are already several available and PashWeddings.com plans to add more designs on a regular basis. In addition to the basic invitation each design suite includes the following elements:
Save the Date Card
Wedding Invitation
Wedding Party Card
Reception Card
Response Card
Program Cover
Placecards/Escort Cards
Table Card
Menu

The templates are all ready to edit and print on your home computer. How easy is that?

Now take all that cash you saved and put it towards something that is a lot harder to DIY, like say flowers.

Saturday Round-up

Here are just some of the wonderful things I have found on the blogs this week.

First up this from Ariel over at Offbeat Brides. Some really cool, taffeta free wedding websites and matching invitations from Nearlyweds.

How to write a thank you note from Style Me Pretty.

What really makes a bespoke invitation from Oh Happy Blog

Filigree cupcake wrappers courtesy of Something Old Something New

Finally this from Miss Peppermint over at Wedding Bee on just one of the more unusual pitfalls of DIY

That’s it for this weekend as I am off to paint, decorate and the universe willing, move into my new office. Wish me luck.

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