We've moved! Go on over to our new, fresh blog for weekly inspiration, design ideas, personal posts and weddings! We look forward to having you!
Friday, July 25, 2014
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
the final week
I’m happy to report that so far Phil and I have experienced no real
last-minute hiccups or stresses. Truly! I am
getting so excited, though. That’s the only word I can use to describe it. And
I’m overwhelmed emotionally. Just about everything makes me cry now, but not
due to stress or anxiety. It’s just because I truly can’t wait to marry my best
friend (cheeeese!).
In a truly “wedding-planner-turn-bride” twist, I have been looking most
forward to the seating chart. Visualizing all of our close family and friends
in one place on one piece of paper is so truly gratifying and special. Phil,
however, begrudgingly undertook the task with me (in fairness, I was way too
eager and excited about this the other night). It ended up being super easy.
With only a few tweaks and help from family to fill the 10-top tables, it all
worked out in a brief 2 hours (yes, that IS brief).
I am, thankfully,
hyper-organized (at least I am in my head). I have all of these perfect notes
and drawings for my assistants and friends helping set up on Friday and
Saturday. Perfectly stacked boxes are paired with index cards that include
instructions for exactly where everything goes. This is in addition to the 4
emails everyone has received with pretty much the same information.
I’m not OCD, I swear –
just really, really excited! I TRUST
the people I’ve hired and asked to help. As a planner, I know what it feels
like to be “thrown in” to the fire of a planning process at the tail end and
not feeling fully prepared (despite my best efforts). I know (I mean, I hope…)
my staff appreciates my attempt at organization. They’ve been thrown into
similar fires before too!
{As a planner’s note, you
can never, ever be too organized going into the last weeks of your wedding. Invest as much time as it takes to properly
label items, create and check packing lists and write instructions for setup as
if you won’t be there – because by all rights you shouldn’t be there for your
own setup. Don’t leave things to chance if you want to experience a relatively
stress-free day.}
Right now, I guess what
I’m really feeling can be summed up in two words: grateful and excited. I am
grateful that so, so many people have helped Phil and I throughout this
process. They will help set up, pick up, drop off and volunteer in so many
ways. I am completely indebted to so many people. It is hard for me to find the
words to express this.
And of course, I am
excited, because you know: I’m
getting married!
Monday, February 18, 2013
the craftier side of being a bride
If there is one thing that being a professional wedding
planner before becoming a bride has taught me, it is that there is a delicate
balance between “hands-on” and hair-brained. While I’ve always been, and love
being, the crafty type, I also know where to draw the line when it comes to
committing to creating trendy DIY elements myself versus hiring professionals
to do what professionals do.
Phil, for his part, loves (LOVES) when I spring crafty
things on him: for the holidays, home décor and now, the wedding.
In the early stages of planning, all of these ideas and
designs would pop into my head and I would write them down first, and then
relay them to Phil and my family. Most often (and most wisely) they would roll
their eyes and say things like “we are NOT baking 6 dozen desserts 3 days
before the wedding”. I got the message: VETOED. Once I checked myself and the
excitement of “OHMYGOSH I CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE CRAFTS FOR THE WEDDING!” subsided,
I accepted that we hire professionals to do their jobs for a reason. It is
critical to me and to my family not to feel stressed and overwhelmed the week
before the wedding, so we set priorities.
For example, I really, really wanted sparkly pom pom
drink stirrers (hey, we all have our things!). Over the holidays, the family
and I made that happen. However, I did NOT want to be making boutonnieres and
bouquets Friday after the rehearsal dinner.
In wedding planning, just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD.
You must, must, must recognize the balance and choose
wisely. As someone as obsessed with the details as I know you are, take it from
an experienced pro. I cannot emphasize that enough.
So, here is the list of DIY elements that you may see at my wedding. Of course, you
won’t see all of them – surprise!
-
Drink Stirrers
-
Table Numbers
-
Dessert Display
And possibly more fascinating, here is the list of DIY
items that were once on the list but have since been vetoed:
-
Custom Dance Floor Design
-
Decorative Signage
-
Homemade (as in homemade by US) Desserts
-
Spray Painted Vessels for the Flowers
Our wedding day is about Phil and I and joining our
families. It is not about sticking designs on the dance floor one hour before
the wedding, or slaving in freezing temperatures to spray paint glass vases. My
hope those of you reading this is that you make the same choice and examine
your own wedding priorities.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
the dress.
The thought of recreating my mother’s wedding gown was the
farthest thing from my mind when I launched into planning my own wedding. Over
three years ago, when my sister was married, I met Charla Bjostad with Pleiades Bridal in Richmond. She specializes in recreating and revitalizing old gowns
and wedding pieces into new, modern trends (isn’t it fabulous that someone does
that?). When my sister wanted to wear my mom’s veil for her wedding, I took it
to Charla and asked her to remove this big helmet looking thing from the lace.
In Mom’s defense, it was the late
70’s! Naturally, Charla did an amazing job.
The week we became engaged, Phil’s mom and I sat on her bed
down in Florida, and began to peruse the net for dress inspiration. I knew that
I liked thin, form-fitting and simple with lace. I also knew that I did not
want a strapless gown. Perhaps something along these lines:
Incidentally, for those who are worried, Phil knows all of
this and yes, like the perfect fiancé would, he reads these posts!
The other thing I knew, sitting on that bed in Florida, was
that my budget for this gown would be very small. My theory has always been
that when I got married, I would just keep things more simple. The reality
is that Phil would find me beautiful in a brown paper bag (just as your fiancé
would find you the same!), so spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on a
custom, couture gown wasn’t going to happen.
Armed with a strong sense of what I liked, I took to a
local bridal salon to make sure what I had envisioned for months was, honestly,
what I wanted. As is very often the case with many brides, I was wrong! I
wasn’t even close. I fell in love with a more traditional bridal style, one
that mixed my sophistication (to know me is to know how I love a good pencil
skirt and blazer!) with the feeling, that I never knew I had and never knew
that I would feel, of wanting to be a truly princess-y bride!
Of course, then I heard the price of the brand new 2013
gown that I loved; my bubble burst.
Not to be deterred for long, my wheels started turning
and I made an appointment with Charla. My mom, my sister and I stormed her
office with Mom’s old gown from the late 70’s (curtain skirt, high collar lace
neckline and all). What could we create with this gown?
Isn't my mother simply gorgeous?
We showed Charla our inspiration and started piecing
together ideas, and voila! I now (almost) have a completely custom gown. It is a mix of whimsy, both contemporary
and vintage. About 80% of the dress is my mother’s gown. Charla had to cut and
create other pieces from new material, but she repurposed about every last inch
of that original dress. Without giving away any secrets that Phil might read
here, I can tell you that it is truly
perfect.
I plan to pair my perfect gown with sparkly gold Kate
Spade flats, which I will wear ALL NIGHT, and the veil that my sister and
mother both wore at their weddings. It will be exactly the dress that I wanted;
custom and amazing. I’m keeping the whole look simple with stud earrings and
nothing else, and for the reception, I’m creating a gold hairpiece to
complement my killer gold shoes!
We’re getting so close, and the excitement is building! I
have more to share about the “crafty” side of our wedding – so come back and
check in with me soon!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
the art of menu planning
Our wedding is just around the corner and as many times
as I’ve done this for other couples, I can’t help but get super excited as the
anticipation grows. One of the things we are most looking forward to is the
food, an element that we chose to give great importance and one way we plan to
show our guests how much we appreciate that they are taking part in our special
day.
Now, I can’t reveal the details of the menu without
spoiling the experience, but I can give some background into our thought
process. You’ll have to keep coming back here after the wedding to find out
exactly what was served – I promise it will be worth it!
Like any couple, when considering our meal options, we
had to decide between seating and serving styles. Some of the most common include
the formal “plated” or “seated” meal, buffet service, and cocktail hour style
with butlered or stationed heavy hors d’oeuvres. What we chose is a hybrid that
incorporates the best of all of the styles. Many dishes will be butlered
throughout the evening and we will feature stationed and themed beverages and
desserts, as well as a seated meal served family style. No matter what their
previous experiences, our guests will find something familiar along with
something exciting and new, with more than a little hospitality around every
corner.
Our caterer has a unique approach to menu crafting for
events like this. She will never serve fewer than ten (yes 10!) butlered
items at a wedding of our style. She loves the “Wow Factor” as much as we do,
and coming out with a new food item every 30 minutes really engages guests and
keeps them guessing what will come next. When we first heard her describe this,
we weren’t totally convinced, but once she described the “fancy feeling” that
guests feel as they enjoy something new throughout the evening and the
expressions of gratitude that she loves to receive, we embraced the concept and
were sold! Now it’s one of our favorite aspects of the wedding.
Our menu is heavy on comfort food and regional favorites,
perfect for our Southern-infused wedding. It’s a delightful
“family-dinner-meets-swanky-occasion” mix that is guaranteed to appeal to
everyone. We’re certainly setting the standard high for future entertaining! As
I’ve shared before, guests can plan to eat from the time they arrive to,
literally, the time they depart. We are even offering mini-sliders as
“Aftertizers” to give them a snack and a treat after hours of mingling, dancing
and drinking. Everyone will leave with a delectable reminder of our amazing
celebration.
There are still lots of details to attend to between now
and our Big Day! Worry not! I will keep you up-to-date with our progress and
with the continued adventures of a “Planner-Turned-Bride” as the weeks pass,
and make sure that you have the best possible front-row seats to our wedding of
the year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)