Wedding Showcase #1

I am so thrilled about these! And honestly, I didn't realize so many people read this blog. I guess I'll keep it up; thanks everyone.

Enjoy just looking, post a comment, and/or send me an email if you want more info from the creators. I've gotten mucho grande feedback on this project, so there are many more great photos to come. I hope the showcase brings you some inspiration.

From Misty at Forever Weddings in California:

This is a tabletop Misty did for a recent bridal show. She's re-doing her office at the moment and is planning on sending another photo later this month.

From Vane at Brooklyn Bride:

"I did lavender sachets as favors...I've actually been meaning to try these out for a while as gifts for my bridesmaids, but your showcase gave me the push I needed to get my sewing machine out and start crackin. The fabric was from a napkin I bought on sale at Anthropologie, originally $4.00, I got it for $1.95! (note: 1 napkin made 8 sachets for me) The lavender I've had sitting in my closet for MONTHS since my cousin came back from Provence with 2 bags for me, but I'm sure you could find online as well. I would use them in sets of 3 tied with a pretty ribbon and place at each placesetting...your whole venue will smell like the south of France!"

From me:

I thought I would pull together a pre-wedding breakfast or brunch table. Perhaps something for you and the girls as you wait to get your hair & make-up done. A couple things I want to point out- it doesn't have to be dark to use candles. They always look pretty. Don't be afraid to use a few colors, but don't go overboard. Three is usually a good visual. If something looks flat, layer it for dimension. The napkins looked dreadful just laying there, so I added a tiny bloom set on top of each and it was a 100% improvement. Everything came out of my house except the scones & flowers. The table turned out so pretty that I emailed a couple nearby gals over for coffee tomorrow morning. I'll probably have to replace the scones though. I couldn't help myself.

Wedding showcase: By you.

I had the best idea this afternoon as I was catching up on all my favorite blogs. Half the reason I love to read blogs is for the pictures. I find them very inspiring. Inspiration boards I DO love. But how much fun would it be to show a bunch of tabletops, welcome bags, or favors that you come up with yourself? Let's do it! But you'll have to give me until Friday to post mine, because it'll take me that long to do one and my current to do list is ridiculous.

Here's the info:
1. You don't have to go out and buy everything. Feel free to get creative with stuff you have and save a few bucks.
2. No copycats. Going to West Elm and taking a photo and then just changing the colors won't fly. The whole point is to be creative. Be inspired by- but don't copy. Don't be scared to try. Go way over the top- or don't. I'm always pleasantly surprised by how awesome simple can be on occassion.
3. It doesn't have to be "wedding". Yes, this is a wedding blog, BUT, there is more to getting married than the wedding. There are lots of dinners, showers, parties, etc. So a tabletop or favor for something like that would be fine!
4. No winners. This is a showcase- I'll post every one that comes in. If you can send a few shots of your designs, I might make a board out of it. But 1 or 2 photos (jpeg please) would be fine too.
5. You can do one in each category (tabletop, welcome bag, or favor) or you can do two, or just one- whatever you like. Just be prepared for a rash of questions if everyone loves what you came up with- I might email you for a resource list.
6. In your email, tell me a bit about whats in it and why (if applicable) and if you are a bride, wedding pro, or...

I'll post pictures thru the month of September. Oh I am very excited! My email address is over on the left sidebar. Email me if you have any questions.

Hello Pacific Weddings!

This morning I opened my email and found a nice email from one of the editors at Pacific Weddings Magazine. First, I have to say that I was thrilled that she liked my blog. But more importantly, I was ecstatic that she introduced me to the digital version of the magazine! It ROCKS! Really, you just have to actually go and try it out. Its really like a big bold version of the printed magazine that is interactive. For instance, on the cover page- I saw the subtitle mentioning cakes. I kind of love cakes and so I clicked on it. Voila, I'm there...the cake page. Oh, and the icing on the cake (ha ha), that click lead me right to a Kate Spade inspired cake. Just so happens that one of my clients just registered for the Kate Spade china that was the inspiration for this cake. So what did I do? I clicked on the "share" link at the top of the page and emailed it to her. Unbelievable. I am so excited.
I also loved that I could zoom in on certain parts of the pages, that I could look at the entire magazine laid out in large thumbnail formats, and that I was able to click on any of the advertisers to be instantly connected to their website or send them an email.
Here are the links everyone- I really hope you'll check it out. I think you'll be impressed.
Pacific Weddings and the digital version

Yes, that's Kelly.

Okay already! I got 4 voicemails and 11 emails today asking if that guy is the general contractor or my husband. Yep, that's my husband Kelly, and this week he played the role of general contractor as we remodeled the office. He did teach me how to use the chop saw. I cut exactly 2 pieces of the new floors, and then, well, he took back over. I did help paint and install the floors though. Ha!
I'm happy to say that the office is now complete, and I am absolutely ecstatic with the results. I suppose I ought to change the office photo on my website now.

Neat idea for a placecard holder

Every once in a while I come across something neat in my junk email folder. Today I noticed these small jeweled boxes in the Pier 1 Imports ad and they immediately screamed, "Click me, click me". So I did. I clicked. Turns out they are only $10 for a set of 3. How pretty would these look on each place setting at your rehearsal dinner or wedding dinner on top of a beautiful rich colored napkin?

In this picture I paired an eggplant lamour napkin and saffron bichon linen from BBJ Linens. I think they would compliment all the jeweled boxes well. And then for the placecard, perhaps a very elaborate deep red ink calligraphy with gold embellishments.

Lucky Lyndsay!

We have a winner... Casey picked card #7 which corresponded with the 7th comment, and Lyndsay wins! Email me so I can get your contact info to Kelly at Telliegrams for your gift certificate! CONGRATS! For those who didn't win, you can still use the discount code...

Oh and you're getting a sneak peek at our new office color. It's coming along well! Paint should be finished tonight and the floors go in Friday. It is a huge mess right now, but by this time next week it will be so great!

It's the last day to enter the Ultimate Inspiration Contest!

I'll announce the winner by the end of the day! Comment on the original post or send an email to WeddingTidbits@Gmail dot com.

Weddings by Socialites on CNN!

So I got some pretty cool news this morning. After I received dozens of emails this last week from brides who were referred to us from CNN, I got in touch with the guys over at Budget Travel and found out that CNN did a segment on destination weddings and my interview with Budget Travel was the foundation for much of the segment. You can watch the CNN interview here. And the link to the original article by David LaHuta is over on the sidebar to the right.

Win a year of Wedding Inspirations!

This week I have been catching up on all my magazine reads. There are some really great articles and phenomenal new ideas that I can't wait to try out. No worries, I'll be posting about some of them very soon. In the meantime, while I was reading all these magazines I was inspired to do something fun. A contest!

It's very simple- click on the comment link below and leave your name & blog address or email me your name & email address at WeddingTidbits@gmail.com. I'll randomly pick, and then announce the winner on July 16th and that lucky person will receive a one year subscription to all of these magazines!

Want to increase your odds? Leave a comment on your favorite article or idea from one of the above magazines and I'll enter your name in twice! Good luck everyone!

Exploding M&M's

About 3 or 4 days before each wedding, most brides lose all sense of reality and begin to act like they have had a cocktail of Chai tea with a splash of CRACK. For me it is absolutely hilarious. I get asked the funniest questions and usually end up crying on the office floor trying to hold it together to answer them. This is the question of the year. It came in 2 days before the wedding.

BRIDE:Hey there.... Mom and I are debating on whether to go ahead and do the M+M favors tomorrow or wait until Friday.... Have you ever had problems with M+Ms exposed to air?
ME:
Ok, you have totally lost it. Bride, they are m&m's. Have you ever seen an m&m explode when exposed to air?
This is going on my "top 10 hilarious questions from brides who went over the detailed edge" blog post. Remind me to do that.

I'm going to have to do some research on the other 9...I have about 4o bazillion emails to sort through to find the best. Hey- if you're a planner and have a doozie to add to the list- post a comment or email me!

I goof off a little

Last weekend while photographer Gigi Hamlett was busy taking romance shots of Becky & Mike, I grabbed one of her back-up cameras and took a few photos myself. I do this every now and again. She usually just ends up yelling at me for not focusing or "bouncing" off the wrong wall. Bouncing is a fancy lighting term I still don't get. Her camera is too complicated. But still, its fun for about 10 minutes. Being a photographer is so much more difficult than it appears. Besides taking pictures for like 6-8 hours, nearly non-stop, then there is the editing process. HOURS and HOURS and HOURS editing photos at a computer. Nope. No way. You couldn't pay me enough.
Anyway, I received an email from Gigi this morning. Here is a photo I took of Denise and myself while Gigi was chasing Becky and her dog Sami down the beach for this cool shot. Denise has worked with me at almost all the weddings in the last year- she rocks. Denise also married one of our dearest friends, Kenny (I set them up!),last Christmas night at a surprise ceremony.
I love weddings.

Pimp Your Flips

This past weekend was Becky & Mike's wedding weekend. It was such a great time! Clint Wiley entertained both Friday and Saturday and let me just tell you- there were people who never left the dance floor. For all I know, they are still there waiting on another encore. You can check out the short video of little ringbearer Cole dancing to Banana Pancakes at the rehearsal dinner on Becky & Mike's wedding blog. Have I ever mentioned I love Jack Johnsons music?

Anyway, let me explain the photo here. I shoulda known something was up when Becky asked me for my shoe size and favorite color in my wardrobe (hot pink & black). She surprised me, and I think all the girls in the wedding party (moms too), with a pair of these customized Reefs. Her sister Kelly embellished each pair for all of us. Oh how they sparkled in the sand. Very cool. Yes, I'm still wearing mine. Kelly is considering taking limited orders for her Wedding Flips, if you're interested, send me an email.

I'm a friend of Martha's

I received a lovely email today that just made me happy. I've been extended the Martha Stewart Friends & Family discount! Well how about that? Best part- I get to share it with you. The discount is good through June 22nd and all you have to do is go to www.marthastewartcrafts.com and enter the code MSCFF107 at
checkout.
Oh, and if you haven't been to the Martha aisle at Michaels yet, you are seriously missing out. Very cool stuff. Give yourself an extra hour. They managed to fit an enormous amount of stuff in this one aisle!

I love this and I think you will too.

I got a super fabulous email today from CocoMyles. They asked me to Blog about their product, and I was absolutely all over it after I tried it out. This site ROCKS. On the website you design your own dress: bridesmaid, rehearsal dinner, engagement party, you name it. I say find a reason to buy one. The dress I designed for myself- which I LOVE and can not wait to get, is just $135! GET OUT!
Oh, but there's more. Let's say you were flipping through InStyle magazine or watching the Grammys and you saw a celebrity in a dress that you just loved. CocoMyles actually has a celebrity inspired line. The dresses in this line are named appropriately, so you'll know which celebrity style you are wearing.

My friend needs a wedding planner

Yes, its now almost 1am and I'm still working. I just opened up this email from the most hilarious client ever and she woke up the Jerry Seinfeld in me.

Funny Bride:

Hey there! A friend of mine (guy) is getting married in City name removed to protect the dis-organized on 6/15 and they are really behind in their planning. I told him he needs a wedding planner and started asking all these questions. He wanted your info but then I told him you were in Florida :) Do you by chance know of any City Name Removed wedding planners that could help a disorganized couple?

Me:

No, I don't, because wedding planners don't deal with dis-organized couples.

Oh my gosh, I should put that on my questionnaire!:
1) Name_________________
2) Wedding Date______________
3) Are you dis-organized? _____ (if yes, stop here)
4) Expected number of guests_____


I put the word out with my wedding planner network to see who's in the area. I think I actually know one, and if she's booked, she'll give me the name of the next best thing :)

Ok, so maybe I'm not as funny as Jerry Seinfeld. But I am giggling something fierce.

Want to be on TV?

Here are some recent casting requests for wedding or engaged/newlywed shows:



Whose wedding is it Anyway?; The Style Network is currently casting for the sixth season of Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? Looking for couples with or without a planner, who want to share their wedding-preparation adventures with the hit prime-time wedding series! Click Here for the website
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I Do Over; Did you have a wedding-day disaster? Style wants to give you a chance to turn back the clock and make things right! Dress caught on fire? Cake fell over? Tell us the dirty details, 'cause Style Network is giving one lucky couple the chance to renew their vows in a fabulously perfect dream wedding. Click here for I Do Over casting
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Platinum Weddings
If you're planning an exquisite, dream-come-true, high-end wedding between now and June of 2007, we'd love to hear about it! We want storybook romances, menus created by world-renowned chefs, breathtaking venues, and unforgettable elements.
To be considered for your own episode, please email us at casting@filmgarden.net. Include: the names of the couple and the wedding planner; phone numbers and photos; date, location and total budget of the wedding; a few sentences about why your wedding is a Platinum Wedding.
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International Weddings
WE are looking for an ADVENTUROUS AMERICAN COUPLE willing to say 'I do' according to the traditions of a completely different culture.
Only ONE LUCKY COUPLE will be chosen for an ALL EXPENSES PAID international wedding.
To apply, fill out the application here and e-mail it along with the following information to CASTING@BNENT.COM:
1) Names of the engaged couple...
2) Contact Information (all phone numbers and e-mail addresses) & where the engaged couple lives (city and state)...
3) A recent photograph of the engaged couple...
4) A list of all the countries the engaged couple has visited (separately or together)
5) Why do you want to have an international wedding?
Say 'YES' to us and maybe you'll find out first hand how couples in
countries like Japan, India, Morroco, Russia, China and beyond exchange
vows!
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ABC: The Dream House; ABC is now casting for a new, positive, upbeat show in which recently married couples will compete in fun challenges and then one lucky couple will actually win an amazing house to live in! www.abcDreamHouse.com

Another reason I love my clients

I have the funniest clients on the face of the earth. Seriously, they crack me up daily.
Email of the week:

Hello Kelly,

This one isn't as bad as the last, we had a guest cancel. Name Removed can't make it, so Name Removed from table one is no longer. I am not replacing her though, so everyone can suck my big toe!

Cookies for Comments!

"So excited!" Ok, well, maybe I do get excited about alot of things. But today I am really very excited because I just got my 1st batch of Weddings by Socialites Cookies! After 5 years, I really needed a change. So last month I unveiled the new logo. And I have to admit, I love the new look. But I want to know what you think too. SO- if you send me a comment, I will send you a cookie! Make sure your email address is good so that I can email you for your mail address.
I also want to say thank you to Chris Ketchum at Masons Bakery for making these cookies for me. The cookies actually make fabo wedding favors (that's how I found them of course). For my last wedding the couple had 4 different photos made into cookies and gave each guest a set. Their guests just loved them- especially when they found themselves on a cookie!
If you want to get some photo cookies, contact Chris at Masons , and tell him Kelly sent ya.

Wedding design: How I am inspired

The other day I was having a consult with a bride and we were at the beginning stages of designing her wedding. I brought out all the wedding books of course. She brought a picture of the dress she was going to buy and the colors she wanted to use. I explained to her that its easier for me to create a wedding for her on her budget if she explained to me what she wanted if the budget was unlimited. Is that what she described to me? Nope. She was holding back and I knew it. So we just sat and talked and flipped through books, I wrote down notes that I knew were useless, until she said it, "I had always dreamed I would get married in a castle in Ireland". She said this not even knowing she said it- and that in one word, she inspired her entire wedding design. That was what I was looking for. "castle!" Between the colors she gave me and that one word, I knew exactly what direction to head in. Ivory, champagne, gold. Dim, candles, candelabras, fancy iron work, heavy draping that puddles, tassles.
Only thing was- her dress did not match the design. Not even a little. So, without saying anything about it of course, I made some slight changes to the design so that the dress wouldn't seem out of place. Because you just don't mess around with a bride and her dress! And I admit that I had a little bit of wedding designer nightmare about it. But don't you know, not 12 hours later did she email me to say, "I changed my dress, and I love it, now it all goes together"
So how am I most often inspired? By my clients. It's usually one word they mention that pulls it all together. Whodathunk?

"Your job is so cool" Warning: Long Post.

I giggle a little when people say this to me. I do love what I do; I love planning weddings. You couldn't possibly convince me that there's a better job out there. However, when people say this to me its either at the wedding, when they see me smiling off to the side(dancing just a little cause the band rocks!) or crying tears of joy. Or during wedding venue tours, when we're going to all these fabulous locations looking at beaches, tasting food, and eating cake. That part of being a wedding planner is so beyond great- who wouldn't want to do that?
But I giggle because never do wedding guests or clients see me in my office, with 2 computers, a fax machine, 3 phones, bookshelves full of client binders, and filing cabinets full of vendor and resource information. On my typical day I am tied to the office for 9 hours. I get 15-20 emails per hour. Most of my 8-10 phone calls take at least 15 minutes. I wish it was just my brides calling me; because I love talking to them, but I have to actually plan their weddings, and that means talking to all their vendors too. Most weddings have about 20 contracts of some sort. I have to take care of all that. Cool right?
If I have to give up some of that office time for meetings, I'm in the office on the weekend, in the evenings, and sometimes before dawn. And that's after the usual weekend meetings with clients. Because, I meet with clients when they aren't working their jobs! Then there's the calendar on the wall. Right now there are 17 weddings on that calendar (between now and next April 2008). I am a multi-tasking master. So, what it comes down to is that my job might be fairly similar to any other project-manager-office-job most of the time. Cool right?
Then there's wedding week. Adrenaline takes over big time. No matter what, there will be fires to put out, chaos to control, and a mess to clean up. No matter what, I always end up working at least 20 hours straight 3 days in a row, I might get to eat one meal (which is cold, while standing up, in a corner, in the dark), and there's no such thing as a bathroom break. Cool right?
Truly, my friends think I am insane for doing what I do. My husband thinks I work too much. My kids, they seem to get it (kids are cool like that). My dad- he didn't think I was running a real business until he read an article about me in a magazine; and this was just a few months ago (I've been in business for years!).

My job is cool- for me. Again, I love it, and there are some seriously fun parts. But it is not for everyone, thats for sure. I'll post about the fun parts later, but right now I have 17 weddings to plan. Hee Hee.