Archive for the ‘Just Talk’ Category

I love a bride who…

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

creates a budget and sticks to it.

only invites guests to her wedding because she truly wants their company, not because she feels obligated to for various reasons.

owns every decision she makes, even if that means her wedding will look dated in 20 years.

handles stress and tough situations gracefully.

remembers the real reason she is planning a wedding, marriage.

enjoys cake as much as I do.

values the advice of a professional.

expresses gratitude to her groom, bridal party, friends, and family.

is whole-heartedly present on her wedding day.

becomes a friend.

Bridalplasty.

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Bridalplasty- a new show that premieres this coming Sunday on E! that I think is absolutely disgusting.

The idea behind this new reality TV series is a group of brides get together to compete for their perfect wedding, including plastic surgery and a total body makeover.

This show is wrong is so many ways. First of all, every brides is beautiful on her wedding day, no matter the scar on her chin, the 5 extra pounds around her waste or small bump in her nose from a childhood accident. I understand that every woman can get a little self-conscious at times but these women found men that appreciate them for who they are, including their flaws. Why change that?

Another problem I have with this show and that the total body makeover is revealed on the wedding day, as the bride walks down the aisle.  The soon-to-be newlyweds haven’t seen each other in a total of 4 months and now the bride looks totally different. So different that her new husband may not recognize her.

It’s not that I am against plastic surgery (I am certainly not) but I really feel that this show is making a mockery of marriage. Suddenly, this day is about how beautiful you now look not the fact that you are becoming a wife and are about to share the rest of your life with someone. It’s sad, really really sad.

Does anyone else think this reality show as gone too far?

Making Things Happen | After.

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

{click here to read how I was feeling before Making Things Happen.}

Making Things Happen is something that everyone should experience. The day was filled with tears, laughter, deep thoughts, ambition, and a lot of fear. It’s very difficult to explain what occurred that day if you weren’t present so I think it’s best to describe what Making Things Happen is not.

Making Things Happen is not necessarily business centered. The focus of the day is really what you make of it and what your heart is feeling that very moment. For me, Making Things Happen was more of a personal, soul searching experience. Making Things Happen is also not a networking event. It’s true that I honestly left with 20 new friends, but I didn’t get to know them through casual conversation. I learned intimate details about them through what they openly shared with the group. That is how our friendship developed.

My absolute favorite exercise was one that I can surely do every single day. We spent time sharing encouraging words and compliments to each other. It was simple but such a great feeling for me. The compliments and words exchanged were so genuine and for me personally, I learned something about myself from them. We hardly ever express the compliments that we are thinking and I have realized that by sharing these you can really change someone’s day or how they see themselves. I have a new goal to compliment someone every single day.

As many others have shared, I too am changed from this experience. Yes, I am motivated to do great things with my life but I am concentrating more so on living a full life. To me a full life is, loving and appreciating my husband with every breath, fulfilling my life’s purpose to serve, and living every day with grace.

This “after” wouldn’t be complete without a thank you to all of those fabulous women and one brave guy, Skip, that I now call friends. Lara, Gina, Emily- thank you for reminding me to dream big and to do what makes my heart sing. Eve- thank you for being my “nervous buddy” for the day, I would have gotten back onto the elevator if you weren’t there to push me. To everyone else- thank you for sharing intimate details with me, it encouraged me to do the same and I know all of you will do great things with your lives!

Stylist.

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

I recently realized that if you are a newbie around here that you may not know who Stylist is, which indeed may cause you some confusion since I talk about him all the time.

Stylist is my husband.

Now, how did he get his nickname you ask? Kyle (Stylist’s birth name) has always showed an interest in what I wear, how I do my hair, the amount of makeup I sport, etc. and I think it is the most adorable thing ever. Because of this, I often consult him on my daily outfits and love to hear his feedback, comments, and concerns (yes, sometimes he doesn’t appreciate my fashion sense). Secretly though I think he really enjoys the nickname and being able to give me fashion advice.

To prove how stylish he really is, here is a photo from our wedding day, where he is looking dapper as ever.

Careful ladies, he is taken.

Who’s to blame?

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

A well known Chuck Taylor wearing wedding planner and sales speaker recently tweeted, “If wedding planners get all the BLAME when something goes wrong, do we get all the CREDIT when the event goes smooth?” Her point in asking this question was that in the wedding industry we are expected to work as a team and need to share the credit of a beautifully executed event and of course, heaven forbid, we also need to share in the disasters. Of course, I am the biggest advocate of working as a team, but her question made me think more about the “blame” aspect rather than taking credit.

Wedding planners are most often the vendor that is the lead on the wedding day. Certainly not because we are the most important but because we have the knowledge of all aspects of the wedding day as a whole. Other vendors, such as the photographer, have other details to worry about rather than when and where the favors are going, what time the band is setting up and what entrance guests should use.

While we may know every last detail of your event, please know we don’t have control over every aspect. I can only control my actions and professionalism on your wedding day. I can instruct and guide others but whether they follow through or not is another story. I personally will strive for excellence on your wedding day but I am not a superhero. I (unfortunately) cannot control the weather, other vendor’s actions, or the behavior of your guests.

Check back tomorrow as I pretend to be a superhero!

No Brainer Ways to Save Money.

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

It looks like I can’t make it an entire week without letting my snarky side out.

I myself was a recessionista bride but I like to think that during my planning I never shared any no brainer ideas to save money. I mean really, so many websites and blogs are dancing in circles around the same money saving ideas. The same ideas that a kindergartener could come up with. Today, I am jumping on the bandwagon and sharing these ideas, but of course not without my own commentary. (one more thing- in no way am I criticizing people who use these ideas, I am criticizing the fact that “wedding industry experts” continue to circulate the ideas.)

Cut your guest list. Oh boy, this is my favorite. Of course, the less people you invite to your wedding the less money you will spend on your guests. 2+2 still equals 4, right?

Do DIY. Sure you may save a buck or two, but is the gray hair worth it? This DIY map can help you decide if you really want to tackle that project.

Just use an iPod. This tip is the equivalent of asking a family member or friend to take your wedding photos or manage your day. You get what you pay for so in this case nothing.

Limit the open bar. Yep, believe it or not, if guests are spending their own money they therefore won’t be spending  yours.

Host a pot luck. You’re right, it’s totally appropriate on the response card to ask, “what dish will you be bringing to pass?” After all, duplicate dishes at a pot luck are a total faux pas.

Avoid peak wedding season. Of course, every wedding that occurs in 12 feet of snow is cheaper.

Enlist a student’s help. Now this idea is sure to save money but I am not sure how plausible it is. Where do you even start to find a student’s help? Craiglist, sure if you want to deal with interviewing numerous people who may be frauds. Oh, I know, email the department head at a local university, that should get you far.

Any other {ridiculous} money saving ideas you’ve seen swarming the wedding world?

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S!

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

This, for the moment, is my theme song (minus the curse words and red cups, of course!)

So, why did I post this video? Because, it is the perfect compliment to the rant that is about to come your way.

While I wish my day-to-day tasks included dress shopping with brides, arranging flowers, and playing with linens, it doesn’t. It instead includes drafting production schedules, attending vendor meetings, tackling a full inbox and sometimes playing the bad guy.

As glamorous as Jennifer Lopez made being a wedding planner seem, I must burst your bubble.

Officially Married One Year.

Saturday, October 9th, 2010

Today Stylist and I celebrate 365 wonderful days as Husband and Wife.

Before we were married, Stylist and I had dated for about 6 years and I assumed I knew everything about the man I loved and that our first year of marriage would be very predictable. I was so wrong.

I could never have predicted that our shift to marriage would bring us closer together. I didn’t think that was possible. I can’t explain the feeling (once you are married, you’ll know) but it’s incredible to now go through life knowing every single day I have an advocate, lover, partner in crime and best friend.

Kyle, I am proud to call you my Husband. Your never ending love and support is humbling. Your drive to do good in the world is contagious. Your ability to make me laugh at any moment is what gets me through the day. I love you.

I think one year of marriage looks really nice on us, if I may say so myself.

Real Advice For Becoming A Wedding Planner.

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Yesterday’s post was completely necessary and really needed to be said, (I think other professionals in the industry will agree) but today I think it’s only fair that I share my real advice for pursuing a career in the wedding industry.

There are so many paths that can lead you to a career in wedding planning and you simply need to find the right one for you. There is no magic route that results in tons of clients, a large salary, and ultimately your dream job.

First, you need to find a way to gain experience. For me, I haven’t always planned weddings. My first event experiences came when I was 14 years old and bussing tables at a local country club. Even though I was young, I was learning from the exposure. I continued to work at said country club until I was finally the Food and Beverage Manager and responsible for planning all the events at our facility. This planning experience is what made me realize I enjoyed planning weddings more than special events. So, whatever you do, find a way to gain experience and remember, it doesn’t necessarily need to be wedding related.

Once you’ve gained experienced my next best piece of advice is educate yourself on the industry. Even if you have no experience in the wedding industry the world of blogging can really enlighten you. Seriously, start reading blogs and that will bring you up to speed with current trends and ideas and will also help you get to know some inspiring people in the industry.

Now, you’ve got to put yourself out there. Unfortunately, jobs in the industry are limited, considering most employers are small business owners. However, follow local blogs and websites and wait for us to post a job opening. In Milwaukee, most hiring for positions and internships is done in the Spring, since the height of our wedding season is between the months of June and October.

One last piece of advice regarding this is don’t just blindly email professionals about possible job openings and internship possibilities. If we have a position to fill we will post it somewhere, promise. And, if you do decide to ignore that last piece of advice you may get a response like this.

How do I become a wedding planner?

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

It’s true, this question is waiting for me at least once a week in my email inbox. I don’t know why aspiring wedding planners think that I will have an answer for them, considering there are so many different ways to land in the wedding industry.

After reading these emails I tend to find myself a little bit offended. The tone of most emails is that it appears to be an easy industry to conquer and that you can wake up one day and decide to plan weddings. But of course, it’s not that way at all. I have worked hard (as so many others have) to be a part of this industry and if there were a step-by-step guide to joining then everyone would be doing it. So, my typical response is nice and polite and includes something about finding a way to gain experience but what I would really like to sometimes say is this:

Go to Wedding Planning College and take these courses:

Semester 1:

WP101 The Traditional Ceremony

WP110 Tulle Arranging

WP120 Designing Inspiration Boards

Semester 2:

WP201 Cutting the Cake

WP210 Brideside Manner

WP220 Reception Design

Semester 3:

WP301 The Bustle

WP310 Creating the Production Schedule

WP320 Keeping Good Vendor Relations

Semester 4:

WP401 Selling Yourself

WP410 How to Deal with Bridezillas

WP420 Initial Consultations