How to Have A Nice Wedding Without Breaking the Bank

Are you a bride looking for ways to save money on your wedding? I thought so.

Then join me at a seminar on Friday, September 11, 2009 from 12:00 - 1:30 pm at the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce Conference Room, located at 8601 Georgia Ave. (Lee Building) Suite 203, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.

Some of the topics that will be discussed are: venues, decorations and accessories, catering, cake, wedding dress, and entertainment

Cost is only $20, (cash only) which includes lunch, to hear how you can have a nice wedding without breaking the bank.

You must reserve your seat as space is limited. Contact Nancy with My Kitchen Catering at 301-740-8085 today.

Panelists:

Nancy Hartwell, owner/executive chef, My Kitchen Catering
Kerry McCullough, recent bride and founder of, budgetwiseweddingmd.com
Maggie McCullough, floral designer
Patti Wilson, owner, Smooth Weddings, LLC

Hope to see you there.

Time's Running Out

Don't forget to send me your dream honeymoon destination for a chance to win a $50 Marriott Bonus Pack.

Contest ends this Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at midnight, EST.

Don't delay. Send me your dream honeymoon destination today!

Contest!

Today, many couples already have households set up and, therefore, are doing away with the traditional registry for household items and instead setting up registries for their honeymoon.

One particular company has done just that for couples. The Marriott Corporation has set up their own honeymoon registry at www.marriottregistry.com where couples can register for a number of honeymoon items, such as, hotel accommodations, spa services, romantic dinners plus much more. Gift values are accrued to one gift card, which the couple can then redeem at approximately 3.000 Marriott’s either during their honeymoon or save it for a future vacation. In addition, Marriott will also throw in a complimentary $100 when registry contributions reach $1,000 as well as rewarding guests. For every $150 or more a guest gives towards your registry, they will receive a $50 Marriott Bonus Buck coupon.

Smooth Weddings has partnered with Marriott in being able to give away a $50 Bonus Pack to the winner of our contest.

Here are the contest rules – very simple. Submit your dream honeymoon destination. That’s it! Go to my Web site at: www.smoothweddings.com and click on “Get in touch with us” and fill out the contact form. Type in your dream honeymoon destination in the comments section of the contact form. You must insert your e-mail address as that is how I will let you know if you have won. I will “draw” a name randomly and the winner will receive the $50 Bonus Pack directly from Marriott.

Contest begins today, Wednesday, July 29, 2009 and will end on Wednesday, August 5, 2009. That’s one week. So don’t delay. Send me your dream honeymoon destination today.

I'm in Print!

I am so excited! I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by my local community newspaper and interviewed for an article that appeared in yesterday's issue. It is about how the economy is affecting the wedding industry.

Read it here at The Gazette.

Enjoy!

Simple, Personalized Favors

If you are a chocolate lover like me, you may want to consider personalized M & M’s for your wedding favors.

New for 2009, they are offering The Shimmer Collection with three sparkling colors of golden, platinum and pearl. You can even upload a photo of you and your groom. Isn’t that cool? If the Shimmer Collection doesn't match your color scheme, you can still choose from their standard 25 colors.

Package your personalized M & M’s in tins or display them on your candy buffet in tall champagne flutes or other large glass containers with a scoop for guests to indulge.

Go to mymms.com/shimmer3 and check them out.

Mmm, makes me want to eat a bag of M & M’s right now.

Images above from mymms Web site.

Tossing Your Bouquet

If you are thinking of tossing your bouquet, you may want to reconsider after you read the following news story from the BBC. This took place in Italy. Unbelievable! Don't try this at home, brides.

Bride's bouquet brings down plane

The traditional throwing of a bride's bouquet for luck ended in disaster at an Italian wedding when the flowers caused a plane to crash.

The bride and groom had hired a small plane to fly past and throw the bouquet to a line of women guests, Corriere della Sera reported.

However, the flowers were sucked into the plane's engine causing it to catch fire and explode.

The aircraft plunged into a hostel. One passenger on the plane was badly hurt.

But about 50 people who had been in the hostel escaped unscathed, as did the pilot.

Entangled

The incident happened at Montioni park in Suvereto, near Livorno, where the wedding reception was being held, Corriere della Sera said.

A passenger on the aircraft, named as Isidoro Pensieri, 44, had the job of throwing the bouquet as pilot Luciano Nannelli flew past.

It is believed the bunch of flowers became entangled as it was thrown, and was sucked into one of the engines.

Ms Pensieri suffered multiple fractures and a head injury. She was taken to hospital in Grosseto by helicopter and then transferred to another in Pisa, Italian media reported.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy and healthy 4th of July!

Off for the weekend. Back next week doing flowers for a wedding Saturday, July 11.