This is me!!

I'm taking a cue from my good friend Andrea and making this post both because she's pointed out that I haven't posted in a while and because I figure it's time people learn a little bit about ME!!

I AM … excited that I get to sleep in tomorrow!
I WANT… to travel the world.
I HAVE … all 10 seasons of "Friends" on DVD!
I KEEP … movie stubs from every movie I've ever seen with my fiance.
I WISH I COULD … play the piano.
I HATE ... that my back has been killing me for the past 2 weeks!
I FEAR … experiences with the paranormal (yeah...it's happened to me once!)
I HEAR … the sound of my bassett hound barking outside.
I DON’T THINK … I would ever get the guts to skydive.
I REGRET … that I started this little questionnaire; it's taking a long time! :-)
I LOVE … to sing & act.
I AM NOT … able to whistle or snap with my right hand.
I DANCE … when I know nobody is watching.
I SING … in the car as loud as I can.
I NEVER … eat just one oreo!
I RARELY … stay up past 11pm.
I CRY WHEN I WATCH … any show where a baby is born or an animal is abused.
I HATE THAT ... I saw "Titanic" 10 times while it was in the theatre (don't judge me...I was in 7th grade and obsessed with Leo Dicaprio)
I AM NOT ALWAYS … good about responding to text messages.
I’M CONFUSED ABOUT … a mysterious $60 charge on my credit card.
I NEED … to clean my car...desperately!!
I SHOULD … go to bed...this has been exhausting!

Classic 50's!!

I found these pictures courtesty of The Bride's Cafe and I had to share them. Unfortunately, this isn't one of my clients....regardless, this wedding is worth looking at!! This bride wanted a 50's inspired vintage themed wedding and she definitely achieved it.

Check out these bridesmaids!! The purses with the attached flowers are the most unique substitutes for a bouquet that I've ever seen. Awesome touch!!

Pink, Pink and More Pink

No matter the year, season, style or theme, the color pink tends to make it into most brides color palettes for their wedding. One of my favorite things to do when designing a wedding is to layer colors. Shades of pink is what inspired this inspiration board. If this is too much pink for you then throw in some tangerine and lime to make it more playful....or navy and red to add warmth and richness.
Image Credit: all photos from The Knot

Me Loves My Candy!!!

The "Candy Bar" has become a very popular wedding favor for weddings. It's been around a while and I've seen MANY of them!! As a Wedding Planner, after I seen something more than 3 times, I tend to get sick of it and I want to see something new....but, these Candy Bars won't go away because guests just love them...hey, that's good enough for me :-) If you get creative, you can do something completely unique and make it something that hasn't been seen before.

Whether you're going for a rustic, playful, elegant, contemporary or chic wedding you can create a Candy Bar that fits the mood. Here's some tips to putting your Candy Bar together:

1. Plan on 1/4 to 1/2 lb. of candy per person
2. Put something sour and salty on the Bar to compliment all the sweetness (try pretzels, sour straws, popcorn, lemon drops, etc.)
3. To make your Candy Bar look more grandiose split one kind of candy into 3 smaller containers instead of 1 large container. Also, work with multiple tiers to give your Candy Bar heighth.
4. Order candy to go with your color scheme (all blue, pink & white only, etc.)
5. Dress up the Bar with color coordinating table runners, linens, flowers and pictures - whatever you can dream up will work.
6. You don't have to use glass candy jars. Depending on your theme you could use pails, flower pots, chinese take-out boxes, upside down cowboy hats, antique containers, etc.

You can Google search the term "wedding candy bar" and find a plethora of ideas!!!

I Swear....This Was My Idea!

I found this picture courtesy of Style Me Pretty but the actual photography is by Parker J.

About a year ago, I went on a little vacay with my family to Asheville, North Carolina and visited the incredible Biltmore Estate. We had done the full tour of the grounds and the house and moved to tour the gardens (there's like 12 of 'em). Now, obviously, they do weddings at this estate all the time, but most times that I've seen pictures of them they're on the big lawn at the front of the house. When we visited the gardens, I remember standing in the exact spot where this photo was taken and I said to both my sister and my mom, "this would be the most beautiful spot for a wedding"...immediately, I had a complete vision for a wedding ceremony!! If only I could fulfill that dream and do a wedding in this exact spot...any takers?? :-)

Anyways - I just saw this picture and it brought back to mind that vision I had a year ago and I had to share it.

It's Raining?....No biggie!

I found these pics via Grace Ormonde Wedding Style magazine (side note: this is a FANTASTIC wedding magazine...pick one up and thumb through it!!). These pictures put a huge smile on my face. This couple didn't let a little rain stand in their way of having the perfect wedding. You have to admit...even with the rain, it was absolutely beautiful!

So many brides stress over the possibility of rain on their wedding day. Trust me, rain or shine, your wedding will be beautiful!!!

Emergency Kit....OH MY!!

As a Professional Wedding Coordinator, people always want to know what I have in my "Wedding Emergency Kit". Well...it's impossible to answer that question because it's constantly growing. For my first wedding, my emergency kit fit into one square shoebox size tub. 4 years later, it has since evolved into 1 laundry basket size container as well as 2 shoebox containers (1 each for the bride and the groom)...that doesn't even include my "Save The Day Kit" that I keep in my car :-)
Besides the obvious items (i.e. deodorant, kleenex, duct tape, mints, safety pins, etc.), here's some things that maybe you haven't thought of to include in your own "Wedding Emergency Kit"

1. Windex Wipes (perfect for shining men's tuxedo shoes)
2. Sewing Kit (I've sewn on tuxedo jacket buttons minutes before the ceremony begins)
3. Clear Nail Polish (stops runners in pantyhose)
4. Earring Backs (bridesmaids lose these all the time!)
5. Hot Glue/Krazy Glue/Bonding Agent (I've had to glue pearls to earrings, etc.)
6. All Size Batteries (venue coordinators/sound technicians have used my stash of batteries!)
7. Hand Held Fans (you know...for the super nervous brides!)
8. Generic Escort Cards (where you have to label/mark a certain area/seat/table, etc.)
9. Calligraphy Pen (goes with #8)
10. White Out (perfect for covering up lipstick on collars)
11. Water Spray Bottle (spritz flowers to liven them up and for overheated guests!)
12. Dryer Sheets (removes static cling)

Now...that's just a start and there's plenty more where that came from! :-)

Keep in mind - your Wedding Coordinator should have an emergency kit available to you that will include all these items and so much more. Personally - my emergency kit list (what I bring to weddings that I coordinate) is about 3 pages long!!!!