Straight Talk About Wedding Planners

If you are like most brides, the thought of having a Wedding Planner seems like the impossible dream, right? You love the fantasy of having your own personal Wedding Planner, but you think you can't afford one, or that it is a "non-necessary" that just won't fit in your budget.

Let me tell you some stories about the last two weddings I was hired for. Here are but some of the last-minute problems I had to trouble-shoot on the "big day":

...The bride didn't purchase enough supplies for all of the centerpieces.

...Just before the toasting, we realized the designated bartender forgot to bring the corkscrew.

...The bride forgot the Mothers' roses (a surprise gift during the ceremony) at home.

...The rental company was 3 hours late and shorted us 12 napkins.

...The large floral arrangement in the sanctuary fell - twice!

...The bride's bustle broke and, since the reception floor was cement, the underside of her wedding dress was black with dirt within minutes.

...The bride & groom, although counseled prior to sending out the invitations, invited more guests than the reception venue could hold.

...The tape to secure the wedding dress to the bride (provided by the bridal salon) wouldn't stick.

Add to that some additional stories from a wedding a friend was in on Friday:

...As a surprise to the bride, she was picked up from her hair & make-up appointment in a limo that delivered her to the church; once there, she realized that all of the centerpieces had been left in the trunk of her car.

...It was an outdoor wedding (at the hottest part of the day) and the temperature soared to over 100 degrees; the bridesmaids & groomsmen (in their 3-piece tuxes) almost passed out.

...The bride forgot the large under-skirt needed for her dress.

Can I just tell you this? In the examples from the first two weddings, all of the problems were handled without the bride even knowing about 90% of them. One of the greatest pleasures of my job is seeing the bride & groom laughing and smiling and having a wonderful time ... oblivious to any problems going on behind the scenes.

In the wedding from Friday, that bride didn't have a Wedding Planner. She was stressed-out, overwhelmed and in tears. And her family and wedding party were stressed out trying to help her fix the problems instead of being able to enjoy the day with her.

The cost of a good Wedding Planner will always be off-set by the discounts they are able to get for you, and by the research they can do on your behalf to find you the best deals and creative solutions. No, the discounts and deals do not account for the full cost of the Wedding Planner. Instead, what you are left paying for is your peace of mind.

Think about it: What is it worth to you to have the wedding of your dreams without the stress? What is it worth to you to spend your magical wedding day laughing and smiling and dancing your heart out with your new husband and your guests?

Stress or fun? Tears or romance? Anxiety or laughter?

Which will you remember when you look back on your wedding?

Fun Cookies!

Now here's something a little fun and different ... personalized wedding cookies! I will tell you up front that they are on the pricey side. However, I know that there are some of you with larger budgets; I also know that there are ways for the rest of you to be creative with just a few of these fabulous cookies.

The owner/creator, Eleni Gianopulos, is able to match any detail of your wedding on the cookie ... your bouquet, the colors of the wedding, the design of your dress, etc. She has had many celebrities as her clients.

An obvious use for the cookies is as desserts or even favors. However, Eleni is willing and able to get very creative. She's made specialized themed cookies to use as centerpieces, she's made them as save-the-date "cards" for destination weddings (think tropical palm tree), she's created them as engagement announcements and has even made bridesmaid cookies ("dressed" in full detail) for brides to use to invite their friends/family to be in the bridal party.

Here's her link: Eleni.

Go check it out and see what you can dream up!

Very Cool Marriage Certificate!

In the June/July issue of Modern Bride, there was a little blurb about these "antique" marriage certificates that are handmade by a man named Jeff Cane in Los Angeles. These marriage certificates are created with high-quality materials to replicate 15th Century pieces. They can be purchased on parchment, tile or wood. For an extra fee of $55, you can even have the exact signature of the bride & groom copied onto the piece. It's pretty cool for the Bride & Groom who want to "start their future with a sense of history". Check it out! ... An Englishman in LA.

Let's Talk Centerpieces!

I have to apologize for my lack of blogging the last 3 weeks (was it really 3 weeks??!). A combination of severe poison oak and preparing for a large wedding got me off track.

Today I thought we could talk about centerpieces. This is one area where you can really let your creativity run wild. Your centerpieces can be very traditional or very unique. They can be very expensive or very inexpensive. They can be large or small. They can be romantic or whimsical. They can be the same at every table, or they can vary from table to table (while keeping the same color scheme throughout). This can actually be very visually stimulating to the eye and create an interesting flair to your reception.

The ideas are absolutely endless and I won't pretend that I could come up with even 5% of the ideas that exist. But here are some ideas that can get your brain working. Don't be afraid to brainstorm!

Rather than using flowers or candles, use these little romantic lamps.

For a themed wedding, use glass bowls filled with fun items. Place a candle in the middle for that romantic ambience.

Be fun ... use jelly beans to fill the bottom of your vase! You can add small dishes of jelly beans around the vase that your guests can munch on.

Don't be afraid to get fruity! Fruit comes in all different colors and can easily be used to fill vases and bring in the colors of your wedding.

Frame your favorite poem or a picture of the two of you. This bride & groom had a love of books, so they were a perfect addition to the centerpieces. It allowed their personalities to be showcased.

Floating candles are very inexpensive and can be quite beautiful. Group some of varying heights.

Here's another fun vase filled with fruit.

If brown is one of your accent colors, coffee beans can be a great, aromatic filler.

Simple can be beautiful. Each centerpiece consists only of a small wooden tray (painted), some small stones, a silk flower and a candle. Notice how the candle heights are not all the same.

For those of you who are crafty, it doesn't get much easier than this. Buy an inexpensive cylinder vase and glue bamboo sticks all the way around.

One great idea is to have either cupcakes or a miniature wedding cake on each table. This allows you have a small cake for the cake-cutting ceremony, and it allows you to use your desserts as centerpieces. You no longer have to worry about what to do with all of those centerpieces at the end of the reception.

(*For those of you who are getting married in the Yamhill Valley/Portland/Salem area, I do have a multitude of different candleholders that can be rented out as centerpieces. This will save you about 50% off the cost of buying them!)

Here's something that's great for outdoor weddings. You get the romance of candles without the fear of them being blown out.

So how 'bout it? Did I get your creative juices flowing?