Trendy Wednesday: Do I hire a Wedding Planner?

Trendy Wednesday: Jenna Paniccia 

For some, a wedding planner is a luxury, for others it is a necessity, and then there are those brides who realize at the last minute they need extra help!

The truth is, most brides don’t realize how much work actually goes into planning a wedding. Securing a space, scheduling delivery and pickup rentals, choosing a menu, cake design and flavor, lets not forget wedding color and theme, and even save the dates, invitations… the list goes on and on. While all of this can certainly be done, it is time consuming and stressful when you are balancing a full-time job, a family, and day-to-day life.

This is where wedding planners come into play. We are here to help you! We have our phones on us all the time to answer every email and frantic phone call. We sort through all your ideas and organize them so you can see what makes sense, and what doesn’t. Our whole lives revolve around timelines, so you can bet your wedding day will be mapped out to perfection. Most of all we are a friend. We are hired to take all your stress away and accomplish all the busy work of planning your wedding.

We are wedding planners because we love what we do. We enjoy problem solving, finding the best deals, and making connections. We love nothing more than the wedding day. Watching all these plans come to life, and seeing the expression on the Bride and Groom’s face is what makes all the long hours of planning worth the time and energy.

Before you begin the planning process I suggest looking at how busy your life is. If you have spare time, maybe you only need a wedding planner for month out services. This is where we organize everything you have put together and we execute the wedding so you are not stressed. Sometimes clients need partial planning. These are the people who have all these ideas and need someone to make sense of it all and make recommendations. If you are looking for full service event planning don’t worry about finding an event space before the initial meeting, event planners can help in the selection process.

Always remember, wedding planners are there to help. No task is too big or small . Reach out to a few planners before you begin the wedding planning process and see if their input helps when making the decision of hiring a planner or not.

Photo Credit: wedding-blog.gigmasters.com, musiccitytents.com, carolinaweddingsmag.com, stylish-events.blogspot.com, guides.hmcpl.org

Trendy Wednesday: Crafty Bride

Trendy Wednesday: Jenna Paniccia

Crafty brides never fail to disappoint! Although planning a wedding can be a bit stressful and overwhelming some brides truly enjoy customizing and personalizing aspects of their big day. With prices on the rise, brides are looking for ways to cut costs without cutting the elegance of this spectacular celebration.

By adding DIY projects to your wedding day décor, you are allowing creativity to surface while placing your personal likings on display. DIY projects don’t need to be something extravagant. You can choose how many DIY projects you’d like to invest your time in, and pick projects that will help add character to your wedding without taking away the overall concept.

Favors and place cards are two of my favorite DIY projects. Favors are great because I truly believe the favor should bring out your personality. Sit down with your fiancé and make a list of things you both enjoy. This can be candy, desserts, candles, champagne, hiking, movies … the list goes on and on.  Narrow your list down and think of a DIY project that will help bring your guests into your life.

Here’s the perfect example.  If you both love Macaroon cookies give your guests a few in a DIY box tied with a fabulous ribbon. The thank you tag could read “the sweetest way to end this sweetest day.”

DIY projects are also a wonderful idea for your bridal shower. Walk around a craft store or discount home accent store or even thrift shop. You would be amazed at how many ideas you will stumble across on a budget.

These projects are a great bonding tool for families and bridesmaids as well. If you are making the place cards, or putting together floral arrangements for your bridal shower invite the people you love over to bond and craft! I’m sure you will laugh a lot and get the project done much quicker! Photo Credit: inviteswedding.com, creativeweddingideas.net, fashiondivadesign.com, bargainhoot.com, bugsandfishes.blogspot.com, mostweddingflowerideas.com, weddbook.com, weddingbylily.com

Manic Monday: Keep Calm at the Kids’ Table

Manic Monday by Corine Brosseau

Though it isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea, sometimes a wedding is simply a lot more special when the treasures children in your life take part, be it your own children, a godchild, or perhaps your nieces and nephews. While this will surely result in lots of aww-worthy photos, it can be stressful for you and simply boring for the kids if you don’t provide some type of entertainment for them.

There are plenty of fun activities you can provide your younger wedding day guests to make sure that they’re having fun and not getting into mischief. One of my personal favorites is a good old scavenger hunt for the little ones. Provide a disposable camera – or an instant print Polaroid – to each kid and give them a list of things to find at the party. You may want to include things like someone doing the robot, a slice of wedding cake, or the bride’s bouquet. This will keep the kids busy for quite some time and they can all compare pictures at the end.

Of course, another easy option is to provide crayons and coloring books for the little ones. You can find personalized coloring books online that prompt the kids to decorate a picture of a wedding cake or recount a treasured memory they had with the bride and groom. At the end of the wedding, have each kid hand in their memories to include them in a guest book or wedding day photo album.

To keep the event even more stress free, keep in mind the following when making plans for littler guests:

– Have an age limit. If you don’t want to hear crying throughout the night, make sure you tell your guests to keep the infants and younger toddlers at home.

– Have some kid-friendly bites available. Let’s face it, most kids are downright picky when it comes to eating. Here’s where chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks come in handy!

– Check with your venue to see if they offer a babysitter or kid’s room for the evening so that your guests don’t have to leave them at home.

– Make sure the kids feel like part of the party. Encourage them to dance and have fun – things like the Macarena are perfect for this.

How did you include kids in your big day? Let us know on Facebook!!

Manic Monday: In Case of Emergency

Manic Monday by Corine Brosseau

We’ve all seen it happen.  You’re climbing out of the limo and with a loud rip, you tear your wedding dress.  A huge gust of wind whips through and your perfectly coiffed half-up, half-down do is suddenly just down.  You start up the steps of the church and your pearl earring clinks as it hits the ground, your earring back lost in a sea of white wedding gown.

The bottom line?  No wedding goes off without a hitch!  There are so many things that can go wrong and believe me, Murphy’s Law will make sure that at least one of them does.  However, if you panic, that one little emergency will turn into a face full of melting makeup and major raccoon eyes!  Instead, make sure you’re prepared for the oops moments that can get in your way on the big day with a well-stocked emergency kit.

Image courtesy of RoBoCrafts

It’s really easy to make your own kit and be prepared for (almost) anything.  Here are some of the items we think are must-haves for your kit:

• Advil
• Bandages
• Blister stick
• Bobby pins
• Breath mints
• Lip balm
• Clear nail polish
• Brush and comb
• Fabric tape
• Sewing kit
• Floss
• Deodorant
• Hair spray
• Hair ties
• Mini Lint roller
• Tampon/Pad
• Safety Pins
• Tissues
• Tide-to-Go Pen
• Super Glue
• Makeup for touch ups
• A pair of flats
• Pantyhose

These are just some of the things you can bring along to make sure your day goes smoothly.  Not into DIY?  Pinch Provisions, formerly Ms. & Mrs., makes some beautifully appointed emergency kits from the compact Minimergency Kit to the more extensive Wedding Day Survival Kit.  They also offer kits for the groom, bridesmaids (cute gift for you girls, anyone?), and anyone who’s playing a part in your big day.  For a personalized touch, Etsy shop RoBoCrafts offers an adorable pocket sized clutch that can be customized with your name or monogram and includes the basic emergency kit essentials.

What are some of your emergency kit necessities?  For those who’ve been there, we’d love to hear about your wedding day snafus and how you overcame them in a comment or on our Facebook page!

Final Diary of a Bride – Wedding Day Recap

Diary of a Bride to Be by Lauren (Cooper) Ricciardelli

Today is officially 30 days that I’ve been a WIFE!  With 30 days under my belt, I thought it was time to share the details of the day with you all!

First, the day was so much more than I ever could’ve imagined.  I was struggling a bit to get out of “planner” mode and into “bride” mode but my amazing team of girls took care of that for me – I didn’t worry about ANYTHING on my wedding day.  I can’t thank Mallory, Markia, Aly, Raina and Jenn enough for their amazing dedication and hard work.  People have not stopped talking about how amazing and on top of everything you all were!  🙂

Second, I was definitely more nervous than I had anticipated being and had butterflies in my stomach until I saw Eric. The most vivid picture in my mind is standing up in the mansion with my Dad, watching everyone walk down the aisle as we waited our turn.  I really got to soak in the moment and it will stay with me for the rest of my life.  One thing that surprised me – I can’t remember, for the life of me, hearing the music as I walked down the aisle with my Dad.  I know it was playing, but it’s truly as if you have tunnel vision and nothing else exists except for you, the aisle and your man. (And my Dad who kept me from walking way too fast!) I swore up and down that I wouldn’t cry during the ceremony (I’m not a crier) but I got choked up while exchanging rings. After the ceremony we did some quick family photos and then the bridal party went to a separate location for more photos.  (Which were REALLY fun)

We got to see the ballroom before we all the introductions and it was stunning.  Our key escort cards were perfect, the floral was even more than I imagined and everything was  truly like a fairy-tale! Cocktail hour was a blur but people were raving about the mashed potato bar! Service throughout the reception was incredible and everything went so smoothly.  If there was a problem, I didn’t know about it.  My team and the staff at Hotel du Pont took care of everything.  One of my favorite moments was when my Maid of Honor sang to me in her speech.  Again, I started crying – it was truly one of the most touching moments of my life!  After the band started doing their thing – I don’t think I sat down!  Everyone was up on the dance floor, shakin their booties!  It was phenomenal.  And the best part – at the end of the day, I was Mrs. Eric Ricciardelli.  Check out some of our sneak pictures that our photographer, Ron Soliman sent us THE NEXT DAY, as well as our highlights video by Branded Productions.  All of our vendors were so truly amazing, I can’t thank you all enough for your hard work and otherworldly talents!

Favorite Moments:

• Seeing Eric’s face as I walked down the aisle
• the speeches from my family and our friends
• singing with my best friend!
• the photo booth
• getting to see some of our pictures on slide show at the reception
• the BAND
• Parents Dances
• DANCING ALL NIGHT

Our amazing Vendors:

Ceremony~Brantwyn Estate

Reception~Hotel du Pont

Photographer~Ron Soliman

Video~Ed Sieders of Branded Productions

Floral~Sweet Peas of Jennersville

Planners~Private Receptions, Inc.

Bridal Brain

Diary of a Bride to Be by Lauren Cooper

It’s official!  I have Bridal Brain…that epidemic that eventually affects all brides as their wedding day hastens towards them.  For those that don’t know, Urban Dictionary defines this as “A less invasive, but more expensive version of a frontal lobotomy. Experienced by most brides, as they enter a catatonic state which renders them incapable of sustaining any thought or conversation that does not involve cake, caterers, flowers, wedding dress designers, Chinese wedding dress knockoff designers, updo’s, hair pieces, color schemes, wedding themes, and personalized M&M’s.”

Admittedly, I’m NOT this bad.  I AM, however, suffering from that nagging, never-ending feeling that I have something to do- but I can’t remember what it is.  I’m putting reminders on my phone, they go off, and 5 mins later I’ve forgotten them.  And I’m pretty much in a constant state of distraction and fatigue.  Yes, this is bridal brain.

I know, I know, “Don’t sweat the small stuff”, “Focus on you and your future husband”, I’ve heard it all.  Most likely because I’ve WRITTEN the same mantras in my previous Manic Monday posts.  And believe me, I get it.  But I’m a WEDDING PLANNER planning my own wedding!  Yes, a detail-oriented, goal-focused, organized (albeit forgetful at the moment) perfection obsessed wedding planner; so excuse me while I freak out over finding frames for the table numbers.  I need  a shot.  Or a spa day.  Or something.  I swear I’m not a bridezilla.

Oh and can I tell how frustrating it is to get RSVPs with no name and no return address?  EPIC.

To my future husband, I love you and your endless patience and I truly can’t wait to start the rest of our lives together.  I’m sorry I’m nuts.  Now, if you’ll all excuse me…I have a timeline to work on 🙂

Ice Bod!

All Things Wedding by Elizabeth Skogstrom

Trying to squeeze into your ultimate wedding dress?

Well put down the running shoes, and stop the calorie counting madness! All a girl really needs for weight loss is sub zero temperatures.

CoolSculpting by Zeltiq is a new lipo alternative recently approved by the FDA. How does it work? In simple terms a machine freezes the fat cells in the body in order to damage them. When the fat cells die they are recycled into the liver, so instead of burning off the fat with tedious hours of cardio the CoolSculpting machine freezes the fat cells away.

Results start within a few weeks of the procedure, and offer a 20% decrease after just three months. This procedure lasts about one to two hours with no recovery time needed.

Just the thing a bride on the go needs. Not only does CoolSculpting save a bride’s precious time, but it can also save her wallet. CoolSculpting’s cost is $500 per area. No more then a membership to your local gym, and without the sweat! Why stress weight loss when your looking for wedding day bliss?

Turn to CoolSculpting for the wedding day bod you have always imagined!

Men’s Style- Tuxedos and Suits

Stiles on Style- By Rachel Stiles

Who knows the difference between custom, made-to-measure, and off-the-rack suits for your fiancé? I do not know as much as I should about men’s fashion so this is an opportunity for all of us to learn more!

Calvin Klein Two-Button Peak Lapel Tuxedo at Men's Warehouse

Custom– A great company that does custom clothes for men is Joseph’s Custom Clothiers. This is where the whole tuxedo/suit is custom made for his body type and is made to fit him best. This is a more costly route but he can wear the tuxedo/suit again for other events and nothing is better than a great fit. Also Joseph’s creates wonderful handmade formal wear including two and three-piece tuxedos. He works with many famous athletes and is known for having a “manly oasis” in his retail space. Some of his popular clients include Adrian Peterson, Jay Glazer, Michael Strahan, John Lynch, and Justin Tuck.
Made-to-measure– This type of suit is in between custom and off-the-rack. It does not take as much time as creating a custom suit and is not as expensive but it is more expensive than off-the-rack. There are many positives why your fiancé should think about a made-to-measure suit for your wedding day! These types of suits are made with certain components that are custom but the whole suit or tuxedo was not made specifically for him.
Off-the-rack– This is your least expensive option and probably the quickest way to get your fiancé in a suit or tuxedo. Men’s Warehouse is a great example of one of these retailers. When shopping there is a smaller selection of suits so it may be easier to narrow down which one he will want. There are locations all over the US and they can do alterations in store while you wait!