Wednesday, December 31, 2008

How Are You Spending Your New Year's Eve tonight?




My husband and I, along with our teenage children, are hosting a small New Year's Eve party in our new home. There will only be eight adults with teenagers and some younger children. I downloaded lots of dance music from the 70's, 80's and today. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE to dance! That is a must-have at my parties.

I made tissue pom-poms as the simple decor, taking an idea from Martha Stewart Weddings. The pictures shown above don't do them justice, though. We still have our Christmas decorations up so I am only putting the pom-poms in the Family Room where the main party/dancing will be taking place. Of course, there will be candles glowing everywhere. I will have two lanterns on top of my columns at the entrance inside the foyer. I originally was going to have them outside the entrance, however, in my area, a coldfront is coming in and it is VERY windy. I am also using small Mason jars as my luminaries to line the walkway, but they will have the flicker lights in them as tealights would not stay lit in this wind. I will be weighing them down with mini-sandbags I already have that I usually use for my paper luminaries when I use them for weddings.

Every family is bringing a hot or cold Hors d'Oeuvre and a sweet or salty snack. We are providing the drinks - wine, punch and sparkling cider for the toast at midnight. Why not champagne? Because the majority of people do not like the taste of champagne, so why waste a good bottle for just a sip? To divert to weddings for a moment, I also tell my clients to save money and not serve champagne for the toast for the same reason. A sip is taken and then the rest just sits in the flute - wasted. Okay, back to my party. The party is scheduled for 9pm - 12:30am, but if anyone wants to stay later, they are welcome. The first half-hour will see guests arriving and setting up the food. The next hour will be for eating, mingling with nice, background music playing. For the second hour, the dancing PARTAY begins! We'll dance until 11:30pm when it will be time to tune into Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve with the Jonas Brothers, which the teenage girls will love, and watch the ball drop to welcome in 2009!

I want to wish everyone a safe, healthy and Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Merry Christmas!


My last wedding of the year was last month for Jenn and Ricky. Click here to read their story.


I am now working on my next two weddings and I have a meeting with a prospective client this Saturday. Whew!

It's also Christmas next week. Can you believe it? I don't like it when there are only four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It just doesn't seem like enough time to get everything ready. I still have more shopping to do. Aghhhhhhhh! The house is decorated, but I don't feel ready. Are you?

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

I will be taking the rest of the week off, but thought I would share with you a little blurb about the history behind us celebrating Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday every November. Enjoy!

In the fall of 1863 the Civil War raged across this country taking the lives of the best young men that this land had to offer and threatening to tear the nation in two. In the midst of such chaos and bloodshed it would have been easy for the country's leader, President Abraham Lincoln, to raise a defiant hand toward heaven and question the wisdom of God. But, that is not what President Lincoln did, instead, he sat down and penned the following words.

"The year that is drawing to its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of such an extraordinary a nature ... (that) No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It is seemed to me fit and proper that they should solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens ... to set apart the last Thursday in November ... a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings ... and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and Union."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I know, I know...

it's been a long time since I posted and this post will not have anything to do with weddings.

Our family moved recently and that took up a lot of my time with selling and buying a new house, moving, and most frustratingly of all, trying to establish new phone/Internet service. For the first two weeks in our new house, we had no phone service (with the exception of our cell phones) and no Internet service. Well, the phone service finally got connected, however, we are still trying to get our DSL service established. There has been a multitude of issues with the phone company getting our lines to work. Last week, I thought it was done. However, I go and try to use one of the jacks we use for our Internet service (until we get the DSL connected one day) and, lo and behold, the dial tone is no longer there. It was working when they initially connected it. What happened? Aghhhhhhhhhh! I am about to scream my head off. This is crazy. I have made numerous calls to the phone company, even going to the supervisor level, and I am waiting for him/her to call me back. Yeah, right. It's really unbelievable.

Okay enough venting for today. Hopefully, I'll get back to posting about wedding stuff soon. I have a wedding this Saturday, so I'll post something about that next week.

See ya. Hope you have a great rest of the week.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Announcing New Service




Several months ago, my creative juices started running when one of my client’s was going to have a bridesmaid who is wheelchair bound and the bride wanted to use her service dog as her “ring bearer.” (Click here to see their story) I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a dog bone for the ring pillow?” I presented the idea to my clients and they loved the idea. (See picture above) That’s when I thought I could make and offer custom-made ring pillows to all my clients, if they so choose.

Therefore, I am announcing the launch of “Bearer of Rings©” custom-made ring pillows as a subsidiary of Smooth Weddings, LLC. Since I’m just beginning this, I can only offer this service offline (phone, e-mail, face-to-face), but hopefully one day I want to make it available online, too.

If you are in the Maryland, Northern Virginia, DC area and want something different and non-traditional for your wedding, then contact me. You don’t have to be a client to order one.

Have your own personality shine through on your wedding day when your ring bearer walks down the aisle with one of my custom, handmade ring pillows.

I can use practically any material or you can send me your own material, such as leftover fabric from your wedding gown, bridesmaids’ dresses, or a special handkerchief, etc. Let your imagination run wild!

Since I’m just starting to promote this side of my business and because of the creativeness, personal preferences, themes, etc. that you may have, I don’t keep a stock of standard “cookie-cutter” type of pillows. Each one will be made according to your specifications. Therefore, I don’t have a lot of pictures to show you yet with the exception of the dog bone pillow and one I just made as a sample.

If you want the standard shape style of pillow, I can do that, too. The standard pillow shapes are limited to square (8”x8”), round (8” diameter) or rectangle (8”x6”).

If you would like to discuss your ideas and/or place an order, just contact me. Please allow two to four weeks delivery time once your order has been placed and payment has been received.

Prices begin at $25 for standard pillow shapes and begin at $45 for custom-made shapes.

Okay. Enough of my shameless, self-promotion ad.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Duties of the Wedding Party Part 4


Bridesmaids

As with the groomsmen, these ladies could be sisters or friends of the bride and groom. Don’t let the “maids” part of “bridesmaid” fool you. They do not have to be single to be a bridesmaid. We are in the 21st Century afterall.

The bridesmaids can offer their help to the maid of honor and bride during the planning process, as well as helping the maid of honor plan the bridal shower. They are responsible for paying for their own attire, which the bride usually chooses for them.

During the reception, the bridesmaids should be conscientious to the guests and assist wherever possible.

Junior Bridesmaids

These attendants are usually in the age range of 12-16 years old. These young ladies could light candles or pass out the rose petals after the wedding or reception for your grand exit.

As with the bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids pay for their own attire and could be a modified version of the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Think Pink!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As such, Kate Aspen donates 10% of the proceeds from their Pink Ribbon Collection to the Young Survival Coalition in October as well as all year long.

So do yourself and others a favor. Order from my Kate Aspen online shop today , type in Pink Ribbon Collection in the Search window and help those with breast cancer.

The Young Survival Coalition is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the unique issues and concerns that are important to young women with breast cancer. The foundation educates communities through advocacy and awareness and provides support for those living with this disease. For more information, visit their Web site at: www.youngsurvival.org.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Using Carnations



Yes, those good ‘ole “grocery store standards” can really make a very stylish centerpiece. As a matter of fact, I designed a carnation centerpiece for Janet and Tom’s recent wedding, as pictured above. I put curly willow in the bottom of the vase to hold the carnations together. To add a simple, yet elegant touch to the square vase, I tied a ribbon around it and secured same with a sticker. I heard great comments about them and when the carnations are tightly bunched together, they can take on the look of more expensive flowers, such as peonies.

Notice how it is a low centerpiece so it doesn’t obstruct the view of guests across the table - a very important factor in keeping conversations flowing. Too many times I see centerpieces that are right at eye level and guests either are leaning to the right or left or worse yet, the centerpiece is moved to the side or even to the floor. Yes, that has happened.

Another benefit of having carnations is the cost. They generally average about $1 per stem. If you are on a tight budget, (and aren't we all these days) you may want to consider using carnations as they are very inexpensive compared to, roses.

Other benefits – they last longer – about three weeks if properly watered; they come in thousands of shades and they are available year-round.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get those carnations and let your imagination run wild!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Duties of the Wedding Party Part 3


Groomsmen/Ushers

The groomsmen are usually friends or relatives of the bride and groom. They can also act as assistants to the best man and are usually dressed in the same attire as the best man. Groomsmen will usually serve as the ushers at the wedding – a very important duty – as they will be responsible for seating the guests as they arrive for the ceremony.

Following are some general instructions for the groomsmen, a.k.a. ushers.

1. Meet the Wedding Coordinator at the doors 45 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.
2. Greet early guests and converse with them but do not seat them until the doors are opened.
3. One-half hour prior to the ceremony start time, the doors will be opened and you may begin ushering in all female guests. Offer a strong right arm. Ask each guest if they are a friend or relative of the bride or groom. Friends or relatives of the bride are seated on the left and friends and relatives of the groom are seated on the right as you are facing the altar.
4. When seating a female guest on the right, turn clockwise to stand in front of the row as she enters it. When seating on the left, the lady should be allowed to walk across in front of you. Make a counter-clockwise move to stand in front of the row and face her as she enters. When she is seated, proceed immediately to the back to continue ushering. All guests should be seated from front to back. You should walk beside a single man to his seat. If a guest is disabled or handicapped, you may offer your arm if needed. Proceed ahead of a couple who wish to walk together. Variation: If there are several ladies together, the more elderly should be ushered in first. The others may follow or wait to be ushered in separately.
5. Ushers assigned to light candles, candelabra, etc.: Wait for the Wedding Coordinator’s signal to begin lighting the candles. Watch as candles are lit to safeguard against the wick going out. On the candelabra, light the candles from lowest to highest, synchronizing with the other usher. Watch the other usher out of the corner of your eye so you stay together. Light the candles slowly. If one usher is having trouble lighting a candle, the other usher should wait until he is ready to proceed.
6. Ushers assigned to escort mothers, grandmothers or special guests: At the designated time, usher in the groom’s grandmother(s) first to the second row on the right side. Then the grandmother(s) of the bride are ushered in and seated in the second row on the left side. At the designated time, the mother of the groom is ushered in and seated on the first row on the right side followed by the father of the groom. Then the mother of the bride is ushered in and seated on the first row on the left side. After the ceremony, you may be asked to escort them back out. These arrangements should be decided upon prior to the ceremony.
7. Groomsmen and/or ushers assigned to unfurl the aisle runner: Grasp the outside corner of the rope and pull firmly, making sure not to jerk, and roll out slowly. Face forward while going down the aisle, glimpsing over your shoulders occasionally to check that the runner is straight. Groomsmen, as soon as you are finished, you will then join the groom and best man and line up to enter for the wedding. Ushers, see #8.
8. Ushers who are not groomsmen: After your ushering duties are complete, you should remain in the back in order to direct late arrivals to be seated off the side aisles, not the center. However, if the processional has already begun, do not direct them to be seated until after the bride has made her grand entrance and is all the way down the aisle. Then, after all late arrivals are seated, you may be seated.
9. Ushers assigned to dismiss rows: As soon as the recessional is complete, go to the front of the center aisle, turn to face the guests. Wait until the officiant is finished with any announcements and when he indicates that the guests will be dismissed by row, you begin by standing next to the first row of guests and place your hand on the pew or chair to indicate it is time for the guests to leave. When one row is complete, move to the next row and repeat until all rows are dismissed.

Now, you have one excellent group of guys. (Sorry about the picture above being a little blurry. I was using a pocket digital and my hands weren't too steady, I guess.)

Monday, September 15, 2008

Check this out...

You have Spanx to help flatten your tummy and slim your hips and thighs. Now, you can have Invisibelt, too! I just saw this on a fashion style Web site and thought, "Wow! This is pretty cool." I sometimes have pants or skirts that fit great everywhere except the waist and when you wear a belt, you have that bulky buckle bulge under your shirt. Well, I don't have to worry about the "bulky" look anymore. As stated on their Web site at www.invisibelt.com, "No more unflattering bulge from bulky belt buckles! This flat, undetectable and adjustable belt instantly gives you a sleeker, slimmer look." It sells for $19.95.

Apparently, fashion stylists are using these for their models and Hollywood and rock stars, such as, Beyonce, are now wearing them.

Hmmmm, maybe I'll ask my husband to get me one for my birthday,

What will they think of next?

Friday, September 12, 2008

Duties of the Wedding Party Part 2


MAID OF HONOR

This special woman is your “right-hand” woman. She could be your mother, sister or best friend. Think of your maid (single) or matron (married) of honor as your very own lady-in-waiting. She is usually the one who will host the bridal shower. One of her main duties during the wedding is to hold the groom’s ring as well as your bouquet. She will help you with your wedding dress as well as adjust your veil and train as necessary. She should practice beforehand how to bustle the train as this will be one of her responsibilities prior to your entering the reception.

The maid of honor can also offer up a toast at the reception. She would usually do this after the best man’s toast. If you are changing into street clothes after the reception, your maid of honor will assist you and will ensure the best man gets your luggage to the car. She will also be responsible for picking up after you have left and assist your mother with anything she may need help with. She may be asked to assist with loading the gifts into the car.

The maid of honor will listen to the bride. She will need someone to lean on during stressful times and receive encouragement and help her during the planning process.

Therefore, brides, when trying to decide who you want as your maid or matron of honor, keep in mind the above "job description" and she will do you right.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Duties of the Wedding Party


Have you been wondering exactly what a maid (matron) of honor, best man and other members of your wedding party are suppose to do besides just stand up for you at your wedding? Have they been asking you that same question? Believe it or not, they do have “real” duties to perform.

Over the next several days, I will post general brief “job descriptions” for the main players of your wedding party. Today, we will look at the...

BEST MAN

First and foremost – this is the guy you can trust and depend on. He could be your father, brother or best friend you have known since childhood. This is the man that will do his “best” to ensure you have everything you need and that you arrive to the church on time. One of his main duties during the ceremony is to carry the bride’s ring as well as make sure you, the groom, are properly dressed and have everything you need. He will have your keys in order to bring the car up when it’s time to leave the ceremony or reception and ensure that all your luggage, as well as your bride’s, is loaded into the car prior to leaving.

The best man traditionally gives a toast at the reception to the bride and groom. He may also act as the emcee by introducing the wedding party as well as make any other announcements during the reception. He probably will be responsible for returning your tux to the rental shop the day after the wedding.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Sweet 16




As promised in one of my previous posts, I was going to tell you about my daughter's Sweet 16 party I had for her. I'm finally getting around to posting about it.

My daughter is thinking of becoming a fashion designer or wants to work in some type of fashion industry. So, I planned a simple, yet elegant "Design Your Own Style Fashion Luncheon." We asked the guests to create their own fashion style to wear to the party. We said it could be very formal, dressy casual, shabby chic - whatever they wanted - there would be a prize for the most creative, fashionable style. The girls really did a great job of dressing up in their own styles. My daughter chose a Simply Vera by Vera Wang dress for her own "fashion style."

I had a signature drink called a "Fizzy Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri" served in champagne flutes that I purchased at a thrift store for $0.50 each! As each guest arrived, I took a picture of her with my daughter, they lit a tea light in a votive holder and with their signature drink in hand were directed to our family room to place the votive tea light on the mantel and then sign the guest book.

For the guest book, I had pre-drawn an outline for a 4 x 6 photo, alternating vertical and horizontal, on each page. On that page, the guest would write a note and later their photo with my daughter would be placed on that page. (Haven't gotten around to doing that yet.) Surrounding the guest book, I had printed out various photos of my daughter at different ages to display. Also as the guests arrived, I had my son and his friend be the "waiters" and they passed Hors d'Oeuvres of carrots and celery sticks in individual cups of Ranch dressing and mini-crab cakes.

We played an "ice-breaker" game and then we opened the buffet. (My husband was the "caterer".) The buffet included steamed shrimp with cocktail sauce, mini-quiche, popcorn chicken, deviled eggs, ham & cream cheese ball served with a variety of crackers and bite-size pieces of watermelon. What do you think those girls ate the most? The popcorn chicken. They couldn't get enough of those babies.

After about 45 minutes, we played a trivia game. We had made up questions about our daughter to see how well her friends knew her - and do you know that her best friend did not win? Oh, well. When the game was finished, it was time for the gift opening. Later, we went out on the deck to take some group photos.

By then it was time for dessert. My daughter LOVES ice cream! So, of course, we set up an ice cream sundae bar along with my mini-chocolate fountain. The dessert was definitely a big hit. With the ice cream bar, we served brownies, mini-chocolate chips, mini-M&M's, sprinkles and whipped cream. For the chocolate fountain, we served marshmallows, strawberries and pretzels.

My daughter's color scheme was yellow and pink. I purchased yellow and pink paper lanterns to hang in the family room. As part of the decorations, I had taken a picture of my daughter and used it to make a mock-up cover of a fashion magazine. She really loved it. For favors, we used yellow take-out boxes, lined them with pink tissue paper and filled them with mini packs of M&M's, pack of gum, personalized lip balm from my Kate Aspen shop, and an anklet that my daughter made for each guest. We put the anklet in a cellophane bag with a label that said, "Made Especially for You."

All in all, I think it was a great success and a lot of fun.

Friday, August 1, 2008

DIY



With the rising cost of gas, food and just about everything else, more and more couples are choosing to do things themselves. I love doing things myself, as long as I can do it where it will still look professional. Well, with the way technology is today, DIY projects are becoming much easier, cost effective, and can look very professional. Martha Stewart is known for doing things herself, but now she is providing beautiful templates that you can download for free to design your own menu cards, programs, place cards, etc. as shown in the pictures above. So, so easy. So what are you waiting for? Go to marthastewart.com/weddings-summer-2008 to see these templates and more.

Martha has also made it easy for you to plan your wedding by now offering free planning tools on her Web site for your budget, timeline, seating chart, vendor search, etc.

Happy creating! I’m going to play around with some of those templates and see what I can create.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Plant Green


In our ever-present “Go Green” mentality these days, you can get “go green” more with providing seedlings as favors and get more bang for your buck by having them do double-duty as centerpieces when they are grouped together as shown above. This idea is from the latest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine summer 2008 issue.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

I'm back

I know, I know. It has been a long time since I have blogged. A family situation set me back and over the past several weeks, have been busy de-cluttering, throwing out, giving away and storing stuff as we are making our house ready to sell. We are not moving out of the area, but just to a different neighborhood that will provide us a little more land.

Soooooo, I am also getting ready to go on vacation to the beach (Outer Banks) and as soon as I return, I'll be heading back working on my two upcoming weddings in September and November.

My daughter had her 16th birthday party over the summer and I will blog about that later.

It has been a very busy summer and is going by very fast. Hope yours has gone well and your wedding plans are going smoothly.

Be back soon.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Helpful Hints for Saving Money on Your Wedding Day

My husband, a CPA, printed out an article for me he recently saw on The Vanguard Group’s Web site relating to saving money on your wedding day. So, I thought I would share some of their ideas with some additional comments by me in italics.

Some questions to ask:

Have you set up a budget for your wedding?
How will you pay for it?
Will you be going into debt to finance your big day? If so, how long will it take to pay if off? (It’s really not a good idea to start off your new life together with new debt.)

Here are some simple suggestions for paring down some of your expenses:

1. Trim your guest list. Your reception will usually be about 50% of your budget, so by trimming your guest list, you will save money. For example, if your wedding costs $125 per person, cutting just eight guests will save you $1,000.
2. Don’t do engraved invitations – do thermography. This method still has the raised lettering, but just doesn’t have the copper-plate engraving which is very expensive.
3. Think about getting married on a Friday evening or a Sunday. Many venues will give significant discounts on these days and you can still have your sit-down dinner for a much less cost.
4. Consider having your ceremony and reception held at the same place. You’ll only need to decorate one place and you’ll save on transportation, too.
5. Wine and beer only. Save a lot of money by having a wine and beer bar only.
6. Nix the extra dessert. Wedding cake will be plenty to serve the guests.
7. Want an extravagant, multitiered wedding cake? Have your baker do a “fake” cake with Styrofoam decorated with icing and serve guests sheet cake made from the wedding cake recipe you choose. No one will be the wiser. If you want to do the traditional cake cutting ceremony, then have your baker do one tier with real cake and the rest with Styrofoam. Or, if you don’t particularly like the idea of a “fake” cake, (I know I don’t) you can still save money by having your baker create a smaller version of your wedding cake to serve less guests and have additional sheet cakes that will be cut up in the kitchen and served to guests.
8. Eliminate favors. Most get thrown out, unless their edible. If you have 125 guests at $3 per favor, you will save $375.
9. Seasonal flowers. Always try to choose flowers that are in season during the time of your wedding. They are less costly than forced blooms.

By sticking to a budget and using some of the above cost-saving tips, you can still have an elegant wedding, but not go in debt.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Bling, Bling!


Just received my copy of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine spring issue. The picture on the cover is shown above showing several different styles and cuts of diamond rings. Wow! Gone are the days of the single round, solitaire diamond engagement ring. There are such a variety of styles to choose from these days. Makes me want to get engaged all over again. Or maybe, I'll just hint to my husband to upgrade my ring for our 15th or 25th Anniversary. Don't get me wrong. I love my engagement ring. It's a sapphire surrounded with diamonds - modeled after Princess Diana's, but on a much smaller scale, of course.

I just love diamonds and wouldn't mind wearing one of these beauties once in awhile.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Makeup For Your Big Day

Make your wedding day picture-perfect. How? By preparing your skin one to two months in advance of your wedding day. "How do I do that?" you ask? If you are a DIY bride, then all you need to do is use the right products, and you will have that “storybook look” that will last until the last dance.

The skin care and makeup I recommend is Mary Kay. I use it and love their products. Visit my beauty consultant’s site at www.marykay.com/leahfontana to see the latest in skin care and makeup products. On the home page, go down to “What’s New” and click on “Bridal.” If you want to have a little fun, too, be you own makeup artist by taking their Virtual Makeover.

Happy shopping.

Monday, March 10, 2008

No Winner

Sorry. No one submitted any Valentine's Day proposals, so there was not a winner for my first contest. Oh, well. Look for another contest in the future.

Have a great Monday!

Friday, February 29, 2008

Happy Leap Day!

An extra day of the year we get every four years. That means you have an extra day of planning for your wedding - 24 more hours! Isn't that great? I'm sure it probably won't seem like you have that extra day, though. Oh, well. It was a good thought anyway.

I was thinking, wouldn't it be funky to get married today? Later in life, you could say you are celebrating your 8th Anniversary but in reality you've been married 32 years.

I wonder how many, if any, are really getting married today. There must be some couples out there crazy enough to do it. It is Friday. Many couples get married on Fridays. Are you one of the couples crazy enough to get married today or did you get married on Leap Day? Let me know - I'd love to hear your story.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Best Proposal Story Contest


Yesterday was one of the most popular days to get engaged. Did he pop the question to you yesterday?

If so, send me your story. I am running a contest for the most creative, unique proposal. Was it a surprise? Was it captured on video? Where did he propose?

If your story is chosen, you will receive a Kate Aspen scented Hearts & Vines frosted-glass votive candle favor, tossing garter (as pictured above) and a FREE one-hour telephone consultation. Total prize value is $70.

Contest will run for two weeks. All entries must be received on or before Friday, February 29. Winner will be announced on this blog on Friday, March 7.

Don’t delay! Send your story today! Don’t forget - contest ends Friday, February 29!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Kate Aspen Favors



I am so excited! I just became a retailer for Kate Aspen designer-inspired favors for weddings and baby showers as advertised in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.

I have used these favors for some of my clients and everyone loved them. They are unique, fun and beautiful.

Check them out. You'll love what you see.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Wedding Cakes...again

Okay. Soon after I write about wedding cakes last month, Martha Stewart comes out with her new book, Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes. I just ordered mine today. Can’t wait to see it. Anyone who knows me knows I loooooove cake. My mouth just waters when I see a great looking cake. I’m hoping to use this book to show my clients when they are not sure what style and type of cake they want for their wedding. Hmmm, makes me want to go make a cake right now and eat it up. See ya in the kitchen or at the bakery.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Seating Arrangements


If you are planning an elegant sit-down meal for the reception, you may decide to assign seats and/or tables for ease and to generate good conversation among your guests who have similar interests.

Assigning seats and/or tables, however, can be an organizing nightmare and cause a lot of stress. The reason being, the table assignments usually cannot be made until one or two weeks (sometimes days) before the wedding. Why? Because your RSVP date on your wedding invitation is usually two weeks before the wedding day. Also, guests who respond late or say they’re coming, then call a few days before the wedding to say they can’t come after all (after you have spent hours arranging the table assignments.) This could mean rearranging some of the tables at the last minute. Aghhh!

How do you avoid this? Simple. Don’t have assigned seats or tables. Have buffet style or food stations instead and let guests sit where they choose. However, if you really have your heart set on a formal sit-down meal using table assignments (my personal preference), then you’ll need to allow enough time the last week before the wedding to make the seating arrangements, including possibly having to make last minute changes. The key here is to be flexible.

To make this as easy as possible, I have developed seating chart tips for you to follow to make your seating assignments go as smoothly as possible. Make a chart listing table number and draw 8-10 lines under each table number. Then, write the guests’ names on each of the lines for every table. The most preferred seating is to have 66” round tables seating eight or ten people at each table. This, however, depends upon your reception site and space available.

Etiquettely Speaking

If you decide to have a head table, the wedding party would sit as follows: the bride sits to the right of the groom; the Best Man sits to the right of the bride; the Maid or Matron of Honor sits to the left of the groom. As much as possible, the other positions alternate between men and women. You may also wish for each attendant’s spouse to sit with him or her.

For the most formal, traditional seating at the parents’ table, the guests should include both sets of parents (if not divorced), grandparents, the officiant and his spouse. If you decide to do place cards to actually pre-assign each seat at the tables, then the parents’ table should be arranged in the following manner:

Groom’s father is on bride’s mother’s right
Groom’s mother is on bride’s father’s right
Officiant sits on bride’s mother’s left

The bride’s mother determines other places at the table. Never seat stepparents at the same table. For example, the bride’s parents are divorced and remarried. Since the bride’s mother is considered the hostess, her table will be the “official” parents table. Therefore, the bride’s father and his wife would sit at another table. The officiant and spouse should sit at the “official” parents’ table.

The other tables and seating assignments can be arranged however you would like using the following suggestions for grouping guests together:

The Beginning

• Divide your list into groups. Separate family, close friends, co-workers, etc. Design a floor plan of the reception site including total number of tables and how many guests will sit at each table – again, round tables of eight or ten are usually a good choice.
• If you are going to have a dance floor, the best place is directly in front of the band in the center of the room or in the center of the room flush against the stage area. Tables can then be placed on both sides and/or in front of the dance floor – never behind the band.

Establish Good Conversation

• When assigning tables, if there is a group you have put together that is larger than one table can seat but too small for two tables, consider dividing the group in half and seat at tables that are next to each other. You can fill in the extra spaces with people that don’t really fit into any particular group.
• If you have a lot of unmatched guests, place guests together whom you think would be compatible. Think of ages, interests and/or marital status when you are assigning tables to this particular group. For example, a widowed friend would probably not appreciate sitting next to four newlyweds.
• If after assigning all the tables and there are empty seats, divide the empty spaces among several different tables. It looks better to have two tables of eight rather than a table of ten and a table of six.

Be Aware

• Try not to place feuding families or friends at the same table or near each other (unless you need some extra free entertainment.)• Be sensitive and seat elderly and/or disabled guests away from the music or speakers, especially if it will be hard for them to get up and move around during the reception.

Happy seating!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Happy New Year!


I'm back. After taking a nice, long Christmas break, I am back to business. Happy 2008 everyone! I can't believe we have just started another year. Time passes by faster and faster as I get older and older.

Several days ago, I received the winter 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. On the front cover was a picture of Jessica and Cody - the couple who won Today Throws a Martha Stewart Wedding. The wedding took place on October 5, 2007. The theme was "Breakfast at Tiffany's." They were one fortunate couple to have won this fabulous wedding, especially done by Martha Stewart. I wish I could have been there. It looked truly amazing. You'll have to pick up a copy to see for yourself.

Okay, this has nothing to do with the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" wedding, but Martha in her "Good Things" section had a great idea for the bar. If you are having a signature drink at your reception, you can write up the drink recipe by either having a calligrapher do it or DIY on the computer, on colored paper that matches your color scheme. Get a small shadowbox from a crafts store (actually, Martha Stewart Crafts at Michael's has them - I just saw it yesterday), line it with a printed fabric or paper that will coordinate with the card you have the recipe on, and pin it inside the box. See the picture above. You can then stand the box on the end of the bar. Place a few rocks or mini-sandbags inside to weigh it down so it won't be easily toppled over. What a great idea - simple, yet adds a touch of elegance to enhance the ambience of your reception.