A Twitter Chat with David Tutera!!

I have discovered a wonderful group of wedding professionals to chat with via Twitter every Wedding Wednesday from noon to 1:00.  Wedding Market hosts it and has guest speakers from the wedding industry every week to answer questions, then they open it up to questions from the group.  I am learning a LOT (including how to actually use Twitter!!) from this awesome group.  

Last week David Tutera (Yes, THAT David Tutera!!) was the featured guest, and I actually got a response to my own question.  A Bride on a Budget (she is planning her own wedding and has a really helpful blog and a Twitter chat (#BridalBabble) of her own on Wednesdays) blogged about her Tutera answer, giving me the inspiration for this post.  If you are planning a wedding, please take a look at her page!!

Anyway, I wanted some advice from this incredibly successful event planner on how to convince couples that we really are an important part of a wedding.  

I love the way he worded that.  I try to tell prospective clients this, but unfortunately a lot of them do not believe me until the day of the event, and by then it's too late.  Ask a married couple if they wish they could have had someone there to take care of the craziness for them and more than likely their answer will be yes.  This fits right along with my motto, "I'll plan, so you can party!!"

Thank you Wedding Market for the chance to get some advice from an amazing planner.  Thank you Bride on a Budget for the blog post idea.  Thank you David Tutera for all of the wonderful advice from that day.  Please click the links in the blog to see some more of that day's chat.

  

Wedding Wednesday: A Real Wedding Without a Coordinator

Recently I was asked to be a photographer's assistant at a wedding.  Score!!  Photography has long been a hobby of mine and I have dabbled in it enough to mostly know what I am doing.  At this point I wouldn't expect someone to pay me to take care of the entire wedding, but I felt perfectly comfortable following around a professional and taking the candid shots.  I had so much fun doing this!!

The hard part of the day for me was seeing a lot of the things that I would have done as a coordinator NOT GETTING DONE!!  I had to keep repeating to myself, "You are getting paid to take pictures today, not fix the other stuff.  Focus on the job you were hired to do and stop thinking about how much help you could have been."  Instead, I mentally noted a few things to blog about later.         

Let me first say, the wedding turned out to be a beautiful, touching event.  At the end of the day, the bride and groom were happily married and everyone had a good time.  It was a really fun group and they knew how to enjoy themselves.

Now the wedding planner in me gets to have her say.

No timeline.
We arrived early to look around because the photographer that I was working with had never shot at that venue before and it was located an hour away from us. Other than when the ceremony started, it looked like there was no set schedule for anything else.  They kept asking the photographer when/ who should get dressed to be ready for pics.  She wasn't the designated person in charge (no one was) so the wedding party wasn't  listening to her.  This made the photos go slower than they needed to, which threw everything behind (the imaginary) schedule.  Guests were waiting outside of the doors while we finished up pics when they should have been entering to be seated.

Besides that, we had to keep prompting the couple to do that next thing we needed to take photos of, like cake cutting and the bouquet toss.  These things need to be done in a timely manner, early enough so that any guests that aren't into partying late can enjoy the festivities and be on their way.  If you don't plan them out, there is a really good chance you will forget to do them altogether.  You might regret that after the fact.

No pre-decided photographs.
The photographer had to ask more than once for the bride and groom to give her their list of family shots that they wanted taken.  I witnessed the groom stare at the sheet blankly for a minute, then pass it off to his mother who had to quiz him while he dressed.  I can only assume there was a similar situation in the bride's dressing room.  This led to incomplete lists once we started photographing, plus the bride's mother couldn't read the groom's mother's handwriting and missed calling a couple of names in group shots.  Also, since this led so far into ceremony time, people setting up decorations and food kept wandering into the background of the shots.  (It was an extremely windy day, preventing us from doing any photography outside until after the ceremony was over.  Gotta preserve the girls' hairdos!!)

After the ceremony, the bride had one special shot she had found on Pinterest that she wanted, but didn't tell the photographer until that moment.  The bride knew about it ahead of time because it involved a prop, but rather than have a chance to be prepared, the photographer had to figure out how to execute that shot while guests looked on (hungrily) waiting for the dinner to start.  She's a rock star, so she figured it out quickly!!  Still, it would have gone smoother with just a little heads up beforehand.

Unfinished decorations.
The ceremony and reception were to take place in the same room.  Ceremony chairs started in the center of the room with reception tables to the left and right.  During the receiving line, the tables were to be moved to the center. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this in theory, but if you are going to have this setup, everything visible needs to be decorated before anyone arrives.  The ceremony chairs and aisle decorations were ready when guests sat down, but the centerpieces for all of the reception tables were bulked together in a pile on a couple of the tables, in full view of all of the guests.  It looked like craft projects were being done while the event was taking place.  It would have taken very little effort, looked much more put-together, and saved time later to have centerpieces already placed the way that they would be during the reception.  The decor was short and simple, so the tables could have been moved into place with everything already set up. 

The cake table was gigantic and only held a small cake in the center.  The light-up words "I DO" were on the table to begin with, but since no one was overseeing the whole thing, a couple of family members moved them before everything got started.  When the bride and groom went over to cut the cake, the bride had to ask for plates because they had not been set out.  Also, while the marriage certificate was being signed at the head table, the bride stopped in the middle of signing to yell over at a family member that they were putting the wrong decorations on the head table. 

When we left for the evening, I noticed a pile of wooden signs on the front porch.  These signs were adorable and were meant to be directional pointers leading up to the venue.  (It was kind of hard to find.)  Some had the couple's names, my favorites were "Almost there" & "Excited Yet?"  Apparently they ran out of time to put them up, or perhaps they were just forgotten about completely.  They would have been such a sweet addition to the decor, and it's a shame that someone took the time to make them and they didn't get used.     

One last thing that threw a kink in the works was a phone call interrupting a very special moment.  Granted, this could happen even with a coordinator involved, but I try my very best to have anyone with wedding day questions to call me first, then as a very VERY last resort, I go to the bride or groom myself with the question if necessary.  If your family or friends have your number and you are paying attention to your phone, these calls could still sneak by me.  We were right in the middle of taking the pictures of the bride's mother helping her daughter get dressed when Mom answered her phone and walked away to give someone directions that had gotten lost.  Mood-breaker!!  It's wise to give everyone close to you the number of a designated cousin or friend that can field these questions for the day.  They can let you know if it's an emergency. 

So, there are some of the things that were setting off my OCD during the event.  You may think a coordinator is an added expense that really isn't necessary, but these are only the tip of the iceberg of things that need to be managed.  Even if you are a super organized person with lists upon lists, more than likely you haven't done this before.  A coordinator does this a lot, and probably has seen or heard of almost every possible scenario of problems that could pop up.  If it's new to them, they have the expertise to deal with it in a productive way.  Plus, all of the time the coordinator can save you by knowing the answers to questions and keeping the entire process on time and on track can actually save you money in other areas.  We really are worth it!!  

Wedding Wednesday: DIY Craft Ideas

According to my JoAnn Fabric & Craft Store app, March is National Craft Month.  Seems like a good excuse to talk about a couple of DIY ideas to use for your wedding. 

 These painted hangers are a nice & special touch for hanging your wedding gown and bridesmaid's dresses on.  They can cost quite a lot each to have painted for you.  

Don't think you can wield a paintbrush steadily enough to pull this off?  No problem!!  Craft stores carry decals that can be rubbed directly onto the hanger with a popsicle stick.  

Paint pens have made me look like an actual artist in the past!!  This marvelous invention is a pen that writes with paint instead of ink.  Perfect for handwriting names or sentimental sayings onto projects.

When you are done, paint on a layer of Mod Podge to seal it all in. 

Personalized clear glasses are a really nice project too.  It's a very thoughtful touch that your wedding party can take home to remember your wedding every time they drink out of it.
Click here for a good tutorial on painting and heat-setting your glasses.  I used this as a guideline to make some glass coffee mugs for Christmas gifts, and they have held up nicely.

A few sample ideas for some patterns that you can try.  

Next is the very best tip I have ever come across for making this craft work.  (Yes, once again, thank you Pinterest!!)  

Print out or draw your design on a piece of paper, tape it INSIDE the glass, then trace. 

Oh yeah!!  Way easier than trying it freehand.  

Go ahead, set aside an evening or afternoon and give one of these a try.  You can do it!! 

Wedding Wednesday: Spring Wedding Inspiration

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!  I didn't have enough time to jot down a blog worth reading for today, so instead, here is a little inspiration for the Spring season that we are so very close to. I hope it gets you in to mood for sunny, warm weather and outdoor celebrations.

Holiday How-to's: St. Patrick's Day

 St. Patrick's Day will be here in just one week, although most celebrations are probably happening over the weekend just before it.  Even if this isn't a big holiday for you and yours, there are plenty of simple things that you can do to make the day special and fun.  

What does St. Patrick's Day make pop into your mind?  For me, it's the color green, shamrocks, corned beef & cabbage, rainbows, and beer!!  All of these (with the exception of the beer, of course) can be geared toward a kid-friendly crowd or a bunch of rowdy adults.  

Green someplace on your body is an absolute necessity if you don't want to get pinched.  If everyone at your party already has on their green, you could add some variety to this game by picking a taboo word, (cheers, beer, leprechaun, etc...) to use instead.  Catch someone saying it in conversation and pinch away!!  It's always best to pick a word related to the festivities, but still very common in everyday speech so that it's more difficult to not say it.  

If you are lucky enough to find an actual four-leaf clover, hang onto it.  Mostly you will run across the much more common 3-leaf variety.  I spent plenty of time optimistically looking as a kid, and it's comparable to finding a needle in a haystack.  A much easier (and quicker) way to find one is to just make your own. 

You can find all of these on my Pinterst board.  Above are shamrocks cut
from a spinach leaf, below are green peppers, and to the right is an
adorable hair-do that I was not able to replicate myself, but if you have
any skill at all with hair, you should be able to manage it.

Next on my list is corned beef & cabbage.  I am more of a sauerkraut than cabbage kind of gal.  Even though I am not a huge fan, it has kind of become tradition since every restaurant on the parade route in my town has it ready to eat and usually (bonus!!) for free.  I wish I had a recipe to share with you, but unfortunately the only one I had that I actually loved the taste of has been lost.  (sad face)  As soon as I can find it, or a similarly good one, again I will put it in a safe place to share with everyone another year.  Until then, I will be leaving that cooking up to someone else!!  Do you have a favorite recipe for this dish?  Please feel free to share with all of us below or on my Facebook page.


  Now for my favorite...RAINBOWS!!  While I do like the color green, I prefer this excuse to use lots of colors to decorate and party with. 

 One of my successfully attempted pins from the past is simple to execute, but it does take a little extra time to separate, color, & layer the cake batter.  The actual recipe link is included, but the picture is the product my very own handiwork!!  

Rainbow cupcakes

Here is another pin that worked when I tried it.  Skittles Vodka!!  These turned out to be a LOT of work, but the shots were super yummy.  I wasn't able to find cheesecloth to strain with, so I did coffee filters.  I do NOT suggest this to you.  I believe the cheesecloth might have made things go a little quicker.  This year I believe I will try my hand at making colored ice cubes to be added to a clear beverage.  If it works, I will put pictures up on Instagram.  (and Facebook, and Twitter!!)  

"Taste the rainbow!!"  Skittles vodka shots

One more idea I would like to share in the rainbow section of this post is this adorable rainbow of fruit.  This pic is from my Pinterst board because I don't think there will be enough people at my home this year to eat all of the fruit I would need to buy to make this.  Personally, I would switch the mini-marshmallows for a yummy fruit dip.  My fave is simply 1 block of cream cheese & 1 small jar of marshmallow creme mixed together.  

Rainbow fruit and "gold coin" bananas

And finally, beer!!  I myself am not a big beer fan (unless hot wings are involved), but it's hard to not have just one green one on St. Patrick's Day.  Wanna know the big secret?  Drip a drop of green food coloring in the bottom of a mug, then pour in the beer.  Super-duper simple!! 

 Last year we stumbled across an alternative much more interesting to me.  We decided to watch the annual parade from a local winery which was offering their delicious wine blend in green for the day.  Yet another option, green mimosas.  While the same trick would work, this time I added a dash of Blue Curacao to the champagne and orange juice mix to give it this tint.  These are great for a pre-parade brunch.

Green "Casa Cooler"

Green Mimosa

  Well, there are a few ideas I want to try, and a few that have been successful for me in the past.  Please feel free to share your ideas, too.  I LOVE finding new things to try!!

Wedding Wednesday: PURPLE!!

Even though the 2014 Lake of the Ozarks Bridal Show (#LakeBridalShow) is over for this year, I still have it on the brain.  

I had such a great time meeting so very many different brides and grooms.  There were a lot of fun people there that I can't wait to work with!!  

While looking for a little inspiration for this week's blog, I decided to use the GORGEOUS "Concord Grape" tablecloth at the back of my booth, that Connie Duglin Specialty Linens was kind enough to let me borrow, to inspire me.   Plus it's my very favorite color in the world.  (And my birthstone!!)

Not only did I fall in love with this tablecloth the minute I saw it, but so very many people stopped to comment about how gorgeous it was, it was nice to know that it wasn't just me thinking so.  Next step, check out Pinterest and some other online pages to see similar things to go along with it.  

Purple Rose Pomanders

Purple Ombre Rose Cake

Both of these options have the same look of the tablecloth, but on a little bit smaller scale.  I wouldn't use these ideas right on top of each other, but in the same room would definitely work.  Throwing in a nice solid tablecloth or accent material in a complimentary color (like pink or silver) would work beautifully.  

Now for some fashion accents.  The heel on the left would look gorgeous on a bridesmaid or maybe even as a pop of color peeking out from beneath a long white gown.  The heels on the right might seem a little loud for most (not all) weddings, but I LOVE them, so how about for the bachelorette party?  Sounds like a great excuse to me!! 

Purple Strappy Heel

Purple Sparkly Heel

This ring isn't traditional at all, but so romantic with the double-hearts and swirling gold.  

Amethyst double-heart ring

Lavender is a great scent and flavor to use all around the reception.  This Lavender Lemonade would be a really nice, extra touch.  The link below also gives tips on the kind of lavender to use.  

Lavender Lemonade

Most of the decorations here are in white, but the lighting gives the entire room a purple glow than sets an amazing mood and makes the room look even more decorated than it is.  Great lighting is a very worthwhile expense if you can find a spot for it in your budget.

Purple Lighting

Well, there are just a few purple ideas to wet your creative appetite.  All it takes is one item that catches your eye to get the ideas flowing.  Before you know it, an entire wedding has formed around that one thing.  "Themes" sometimes just happen on their own when you let inspiration take over.

  

Back in the game!!

Ok, here I am, FINALLY trying my hand at blogging again.  I spent a little longer procrastinating than I realized.  Looking back, I quit writing 2 years ago!!  Oh my.

So, today's entry won't be the most informative blog, but more about me getting some words down so that the first one is out of the way.  LOL  I have been giving it a lot of (maybe too much) thought, and I have plenty of ideas to start writing about.  Some things I want to cover on a regular basis are:  holidays, weddings, wedding-related parties, kid's birthdays, bargain hunting/budgeting, and DIY decorations.  The goal is weekly.  The dream is twice a week.  

I will spend time today working on a Wedding Wednesday blog for tomorrow.  Oooh... that will be 2 posts this week.  Almost livin' the dream. Ha !!  

Check back often, and I promise to try to inform and entertain you on a regular basis.  I LOVE interacting with others, so please feel free to comment and send your subject ideas.  Also, visit with me through Facebook and Twitter.  I have an Instagram account, but that is another place that I don't spend a lot of time but would like to increase.  Photos are one of my favorite hobbies, but I just need to get in the habit of remembering to snap pics when I see something cool.  

Talk at you soon!!