Finally Tagged!

I am so excited! I was tagged by Rhonda at Our Wedding Plus on the Green Tag (showing 3 ways that I am making my life Greener), and I am so psyched! Thanks Rhonda!

The idea is to pass on three ideas about how I try to minimize my impact on the environment then tag 5 more bloggers to carry it on! Well here they are!

1. We are opening a New (and this is the first public announcement) a new Green Division of MasterPiece Weddings, MasterPiece Weddings Green! We will be using Bamboo Linens for our clients, and offering Bamboo and Recycled other products, like paper products, flatware, and china! Be looking for it!

2. We of course recycle what ever we can, and use energy efficient light-bulbs, and whenever possible we buy local and organic foods. It's amazing how great the food tastes, like organic carrots taste really good and that's how a carrot should taste, imagine that! We also use Organic Soap for our dogs and us - it's better for our skin - and it's better for the environment!

3. For our home we have purchased many bamboo and recycled products, like paper towels, and bamboo rugs, which are so pretty and you can feel good about what you've purchased! Check ours out at Natural Area Rugs!

Now I need to tag 5 people, Jen from Earth Friendly Wedding (it'll be easy for her!), Caroline Johnson at Life With Caroline, Danielle at Oh Happy Blog!, Kelly from Weddings by Socialites, Mark from Queen of Hearts - Okay everyone your turn!

The Knot & Macy’s Figured it out!

A lot of brides find it so much fun to register – going around the store with your clicker, clicking all of the things you hope and dream for. Others find it an arduous task, and have no fun at all. I think that Macy's has a great idea! They have a concept where you can click on your self's image.

Are you a Hopeless romantic, then click on this image:

And Macy's will direct you to the items they think you'll love, and I think they sort of have it right smack on!

If you are more of a Jet-Setter, click on this image:

Or a Connoisseurs Sort of couple, here:

I think it's a great idea! I sort of went through and picked out mine and it had some kitchen items I'd just love to have, and I thought they were perfect for me! Let me know what you think!

Addressing for Success!

The guest list is all drawn up, but before you put pen to paper, make sure you know the niceties of envelope etiquette, inside and out! I'll guide you through six common situations.

Married Couple with the Same Last Name:

Outer - The husband's full name (no nick-names), preceded by "Mr. and Mrs."

Inner- Don't use first names; in this case it would read "Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins."

Married Couple with Children under 18 living at home:

Outer - Children's names are left off of the outer envelope

Inner - "Mr. and Mrs. Hart" on the first line; children's first names on the line below.

Married Couple in which the woman has kept her maiden name:

Outer- The wife's name appears first, on its own line; "and" indicates martial status

Inner - Place "Ms. Martin" on the top line; "and Mr. Haines" is written below

Married Couple in which the Woman is a Doctor:

Outer- The woman's name is written above her husband's. Doctor is spelled out
Inner - "Doctor Goldberg" is written on the first line; "and Mr. Rothman" appears below





Unmarried Couple living together:


Outer - The guests' names (ladies first) are written out on two lines, without "and".
Inner - Write "Miss Duff" on the first line, with Mr. Kuller" below.





Single Person with a Date:

Outer- Address this envelope only to the guest you know personally.
Inner - The words "and guest" are added after "Mr. Harris".

The Write Stuff!

• Never use the first names on the inner envelop, except for children's
• Spell out state names, plus words and terms such as "street," "road," and "apartment"
• Whenever a woman's name appears independently - no matter the reason- it always goes on the first line.
• Include titles such as "doctor" or "judge" only if guests use them both socially and professionally.

Website Update!!!

I am just so excited! I am over-joyed! Actually out of my mind excited! Our website is updated - and looks amazing! There are a few more updates that will be done over the next few days, but for now I am just over the moon!

Check it out! And a special huge amazing Thank you to Amantez Design - for once again making my website look so fab!!

Amazing Gala!

I promised pictures of the Gala Event from last Friday, and here they are! It was such a blast to organize - and when it was completed and I could look around the room and say to myself "Self, this is beautiful!" It made all of the hard work, worthwhile and I hope you agree! And everyone had such a great time. The Gala Team was amazing! You all rock!

And plus at the very end of the evening we took a lttle break for ourselves.

Top Row - Centerpiece by Dan Hathock and his amazing team!

Middle Row- Stephanie, Ricardo and Helen, having a ball!

Bottom Row- Corrie, John, Collen, Moi, Steve (front) Tyler and Stephanie

Working the Room!

Layout of the Room"Working the room" is not a phrase just used for dating anymore! You need to know and understand the best use of space for the room, and stand your ground if you are firm about it. I have fought with more caterers about placement of buffet tables, or where to place the DJ. Some catering managers are just not subject to looking outside of the box - or heck, a little to the left of it! Just learn to use the space wisely!


There are so many different ways to design your reception, just keep in mind that location is everything, be aware of the space, and where things are located. You can use free and fantastic sites like Simple Seating to design your reception site exactly how you want it. Or The Perfect Seating Plan, another great option!

Calligraphy Cakes!

I love tying a whole wedding together with a theme of some kind - flower type, monogram, color - something. So when purusing my favorite blogs, I found this on Style Me Pretty and I love it!!! The idea of tying in the Calligraphy as a theme - so beautiful! Don't you think?

What a Weekend!

We had a huge Fund-Raising Gala dinner on Friday night, and then a Fantastic Chef's themed Birthday Party on Saturday morning for Harrison's 3rd Birthday. It was so much fun, both of them!

The Gala was beautiful, and everyone had such a great time. I think the secret to a successful event is that the food is delicious (and it was) and the entertainment is out of this world! The band was amazing! They had everyone rockin' until well after mid-night and for this group that's a feet in-and-of-self! I'll post some pictures of the Gala tomorrow.

The birthday party for Harrison was awesome! His mom had planned out a chef's themed birthday party- she had little miniature chef's hats and aprons with their names on them, a huge mixing bowl filled with all sorts of cooking goodies, it was too cute for words watching those kids roll out their pretzel dough, and making their very own pizza's! And to top it off, they cream filled their own Whoopie Pies!!! HOW FUN! The kids were having a blast! Then the cake (which I made..) was in the shape of a hot dog, and we had made cup cakes that looked like little buckets of popcorn! I'll post those pictures tomorrow too.

Anyway, it was a long weekend, and I am still beat! But it was so filled with joy - that it almost over-rides the exhaustion!

Thanks to Stephanie and Tyler for helping to organize such a sucessful Gala!

The Very Best Part!

Everyone always asks me what the best part of being a wedding planner is, and I always say when the client tells me what a wonder day they've had and all of their dreams came true - and today my heart is so warmed with just the best thank you E.V.E.R!

Natalia and Jose came back from their honeymoon today and sent me some preliminary photo's and also the just the best of thank yous, when really, they are just the best sort of client! So thank you guys for including me and my team in your wedding, it was truly our honor!

Lindsey and Jesse's Wedding!

Lindsey and Jesse’s wedding was perfect! She looked radiant, he was incredible – the location was just amazing, Lange Farm near Tampa, Florida. Lindsey being an event planner (having studied under moi!) had everything any wedding planner could have asked for. It was truly every girls dream wedding!

Here is just a brief sampling of what she had done –

Awaiting you upon your arrival to The Farm was a seated in the round ceremony adorned with colors of flowing chocolate. And waiting for you on your seat was a program for the ceremony and a Seating Arrangement envelope with the seating chart by Table. The ceremony was extremely personal and absolutely beautiful!

Walking into the most ginormous air-conditioned tent, E.V.E.R – greeting you was a large table with brown pens and ivory cards to write a wish to the bride and groom. And the guest book was moved in case you missed it upon arrival. Waiting at your seat was a bag to fill with candy from the candy bar, and at your place setting was an adorable crossword and pencil for you to complete while waiting for Lindsey and Jesse. The first 3 guests to complete it were treated a special gift from the bride and groom. Super Sweet huh!

More to follow!

A Perfect Fit!

Design your own gown at iVillage! How fun is that! Check out Design Your Own Dress, base it on body type, make it larger or smaller depending on your size, you can embellish the dress, or make it more simple. It's tons of fun! I had a ball! Check out my lovely gown!

Pictures of Lindsey and Jesse's wedding are to follow, I promise!

Be our Guest!

Holy Moly! I haven't been a guest at a wedding, I mean just a guest - no other duties in - well, I don't know how long, maybe 5 years.... gosh, maybe more... but regardless, tonight, I am going to be a guest a wedding- I left my wedding bag 200 miles away at home - I have my cute dress, my cute shoes - and my cute purse. I don't know what to do with myself. It' weird.



But the best news is that Lindsey is getting married!!! Lindsey was an intern of mine a few years ago, and I am just tickled to death that life had lead her to this amazing man! I'll post more about her wedding tomorrow, or Monday.

I have feeling though, that I'll do something work related at this wedding- I'd bet my Cosmo on it!

Let Them Eat Cake!!!

So beautiful and so delicious - cake! A wedding cake can also be one area you are confused about how to get the most out of as well. Meaning, what if all of your guests don't eat cake, what if your caterer cuts ginormous slices, what if the cake is supposed to feed 300 but you run out, what if, what if, what if!

There actually is a proper way to cut a cake, and a lot of caterers don't follow this, it's a tremendous pet peeve of mine, because I can get more than 22 slices out of an 8 inch round cake... so there is no reason that a standard 3 tier cake can't fee 150 people! From a 10 inch cake, you should be able to get 50 slices.

Ask your Pastry Chef if you can pay by slice rather than per person, or vise versa depending on where you feel you'll be able to get the most bang for your buck!

Money Talks!

If money talks, why is money so hard to talk about?

First things first, let's talk budget! If you don't know how much money you are planning or thinking about spending, a ball park on spending, something - you are at a stopping point already. But I bet you are saying to yourself, "Self, I have no budget, that doesn't mean me!" or "Self, I have no idea where to start, but I must have this photographer that costs $6000, but I thinking of spending $20,000.....!"

These are both issues that need to be addressed- first, budget, it know it's hard, but this is where it needs to be said, we have $50,000 or $500,000 to spend - or even $5,000 - this is a start then use the 5 F's we talked about last month....

Budget Allocation: (Roughly, of course, depending on what's important to you)

50% - Food and Venue

10%-15% - Flowers

10% - Foto's

5%- Fashion

2%-5% - Fun

And the rest is cake!

Design online!

You can design so many things online, to better visualize what you'd like to see for your wedding, your dress, your cake, your flowers, and even your wedding ring! That's right guys, you can customize and personalize your engagement ring online to see exactly what it'll look like! There are several web sites you can use, our favorite is A Diamond is Forever it's awfully fun! It's also a fun way to see what wedding band will go with that schnazy new engagement ring!

More Wine Fun!

Don't whine about the wine posts! Another fantastical decanter from IWA - this is from their flock, I mean collection of ducks! Fantastic isn't it!



And for your Grand Cru friends here are some fun playing cards. These would make great gifts for your groomsmen or bridesmaids that enjoy a good Grand Cru!
And some unique wine charms. How fun as a house warming gift or a stock the bar present!




All great gifts all on sale right now at IWA!

New, Clever and Classy!

I am always looking for new, clever and classy ways to show off a guest book. Because let's be honest, how many times have you opened yours - or do you anticipate to open a book filled with 100's of signatures of your closest friends and family. Probably not that often.



I have seen so many fantastic ways to substitute a traditional guest book - some have included a photo album of your engagement photo's, or a quilt that guests each sign a square of. There are also tiles, little square of paper with wishes on them, a frame to a photograph - just a ton of fun ideas! Also check out, Just Wright Boutique for more great ideas!

A Toast to a new kind of Registry!

By now you probably know that I am a wine lover! And since wine is a growing trend, Bottle Notes is gaining an edge on a market that has been longed for!


For couples that prefer a fine bottle of voignier rather than fine china, a fully stocked cellar is now an easily achievable registry goal. Starting October 1st, online retailer Bottle Notes will uncork its wedding program, allowing brides and grooms to sign up for more than 300 boutique and estate wines, as well as Bottega del Vina stemware and decanters ($30 to $110).

Boys will be Boys!

I was just peeking through the new In Style Weddings Magazine, and they had the cutest thing in there!

For the Groomsmen that are the Ultimate Sports fan, how about cuff links that are made from wood salvaged from stadium seats and placed into beautiful square pressed Sterling! They are available through Red Envelope. What a unique gift for the boys in your wedding, and they are pretty handsome if I might say so myself!

Make it Yours!

Okay, so you are getting married! A lot of people get married, what is going to make your amazing-incredible-once-in-a-lifetime-most-cherished-day-of-your-life any different than hers?


There are so many things you can do to personalize the day, you can add some special music to the ceremony, or a nice poem, you can put pictures around the reception of you growing up, or pictures of you and your fiance (soon to be husband) around the reception, I mean, 3/4 of your guests probably weren't there for most of those moments, so include them in your courtship, they'll feel more included as well. Make the Cocktail hour with two drinks that are named after either you and your fiance or something you both love like your favorite football team. Create an outdoor louge that feels like a different room. There are so many things you can do to personalize your day, the possibilities are endless!


Let me know your ideas, I'd love to hear them! Put them in the comments section below!


In a few weeks I'll have some photographs of a wedding used photographs as the theme, it came out really amazing!

This photo were taken by one of my assistants during set up at the Cypress Grove in Orlando, the decorating was done by Dan Hathcock - I think it was just lovely!

Funny Because It's True!

We all want to save a buck or two, but all to often saving money by hiring friends or doing things yourself can lead to an outcome you weren't expecting (most of the time not a good outcome). Especially if you have a friend helping with the cake or the flowers beware that this adds another level of stress to the wedding for. Whenever possible hire professionals for the wedding and if Aunt Kay really wants to help, have her help with the rehearsal - it's not that we don't love Aunt Kay - it's just that the stress it will cause you, and frankly her, can be too much to handle - it may not seem like it now, but I promise it's a stressor.


These cartoons - I found at Grooms Online - it reminds me of when I told my parents that I was getting married, my father said "So Kentucky Fried Chicken and a keg, sound good!"

Invitation Tip - Don't be Lazy!

I am finding that a few of my clients are choosing to not address their inner envelope - basically, because they are lazy. (yes, I am talking about you) This is a VERY important aspect of your wedding. This tedious task allows you to tell your friends, or family member who exactly you are inviting. If you are only inviting Mr. Steven Smith, and not his fling of the month, the inner envelope would only say Mr. Steven Smith, not Mr. Steven Smith & Guest. Or if you are not inviting children to the wedding - it would be Mr. and Mrs. Martin Johns - not The Johns' Family.

It is a definite pet peeve of mine to see that I sent out invitations and then when they are sent back someone erroneously added a +1 to the response card. This small task can eliminate a lot of heart ache. You haven't been lazy on every othe detail of your wedding, why skimp here?

Fantabulous Decanter!

Yes, I admit it, I am a wine lover! Actually my husband and I really enjoy good wine! So it's fun for me to find new and fun things for him - today I found this really neat-o decanter - if you know a wine-o or have a friend that might enjoy a fun and unique wine gift, this is just thing for them! And it'd make a great wedding gift! I found this at IWA - they have a great deal of funness! (I just had to use that word this week!)
And if you are doing a wine course with each meal course, it would be nice to use fun glass decanters on each table, glass decanters would be much more affordable. Like this one, from Macy's for $40 - you can find even more affordable decanters from Ebay!

Do's and Don'ts

Why are wedding planners such sticklers for the etiquette rules? I enjoyed a cup of coffee with 2 of the other wedding planners in our town today. Which is always nice - we can talk about ways to improve our business hear about other fantastical vendors to work with. I really enjoy their company! We talked a little bit about how some etiquette issues are forgotten, and that's sad.

I guess that's what makes us good at our jobs - it's a job in and of itself to stay on top of the trends in etiquette though. One site that I love, is Kim Goddards Proper Protocol she has listed the Top 10 Do's and Don'ts -


Do's

1. Respond immediately when receiving an invitation
2. Use the Bread Plate to your left (why do people always go to the right?)
3. Sit straight with both feet flat on the floor
4. Begin a letter with "You" instead of "I"
5. Smile when you greet someone
6. Do unto others as you would have do unto them
7. Stand when someone comes to your table
8. Give the receptionist your business card when entering
9. Open your car door for business clients
10. Place your napkin on your lap as soon as your seated

Don'ts

1. Write a Thank You note by email or fax
2. Have dirty finger nails
3. Ramble or Repeat yourself
4. Ask for a drink unless offered
5. Take the bosses seat or the one next to it
6. Placed used silverware back on the table
7. Hold the wine glass by the bowl of the glass
8. Stand in front of the opening elevator doors
9. Tear your bread in half and eat it
10. Fight over the bill

I think we are all guilty of at least one of these! Check out a fun book on Wedding Etiquette!

White Wedding!

We know this is a fantastic time in your life! But the stresses of the small details can definitely get to you! Just take a deep breath, and go with the flow~Everything will be fine, lots of our clients know and understand how important their families' are their weddings. But listening to everything that family suggests could drive you to a white padded room - white for your wedding is nice, but that not much white!

It's your wedding, it's your dream - it'll be amazing!

Have Fun!

Relax!

And allow MasterPiece Weddings handle the details!