Most venues have an event coordinator that they recommend brides to use throughout the planning process or for the day of the wedding. However you should keep in mind that the event planner provided by the venue actually works for the venue and will not be 100% involved with your wedding activities. Yes they will be able to recommend some vendors and will help you set up your favors and other things like this but they will not be as dedicated as a wedding planner that you hire and interview and work with.

I definitly think you should hire a wedding planner, they will work and negociate on your behalf not on the behalf of their employer.

Your wedding day will definitely be exceptional however, you should be prepared to handle few little emergencies that might come up. As a wedding planner I always carry an emergency kit with me in case the bride or someone in the bridal party needs something however, if you don’t have a planner working with you, you should put together your emergency kit ahead of time and designate somebody in charge of that. Even if you have a wedding planner don’t forget to ask them if they will have an emergency kit with them, otherwise you should prepare one.

Here are few items you should include in your emergency kit:

• Aspirin or any other pill that works for your headaches. With all the excitement, stress and emotions chances are you’ll get a headache so you’ll definitely need to have some aspirin with you and quickly get back to smiling
• Tide to go pen or a little baking soda in case you get a stain on the dress and it would need immediate attention.
• Bobby pins
• Lipstick or a gloss
• Refreshing wipes
• A travel sewing kit and safety needles always come handy in case a strap gets loose or a button falls.
• Band aids – your feet will definitely thank you for this.
• Deodorant
• Mints
• Nail file
• Feminine products

Feel free to add to the list and share with other brides what was or should have been in your emergency kit.

This past weekend I visited an Art Fair and I found a unique jewelry collection. I thought this would make a great gift for your bridesmaids. Natural Flowers Jewelry combines real flowers with silver and all products are 100% hand-made. The concept behind this business is so unique and the end product is beautiful and very delicate. Natural Flowers Jewelry grows over 20 different types of Miniature flowers which are then preserved in acrylic resin and placed on Sterling Silver settings; it takes about 3 months to complete each product.

They have a large color and product selection; I think it would be impossible not to find something to match your wedding colors. My favorite is the Forget Me Not collection.

Fall is all about colors and so are our CUPCAKES!

Lately we received a lot of inquiries about the Day of the Wedding Consultation that we offer so I thought it would be good to provide more details about this. However, please keep in mind that every wedding is unique so we would customize our packages based on the couple’s requirements.

As day of the wedding coordinators we would make sure your wedding will run smoothly and in accordance to your vision and plans. Nobody but us will have to worry about the logistics of the day. These are few of the things we would do to allow everybody, especially the bride and groom, to enjoy themselves instead of worrying about every detail:

Consultations:

• We would have a preliminary meeting to book the date and briefly discuss all the details the groom and bride would like us to get involved with
• Another meeting will take place 5-7 weeks before the wedding day so that we can collect contact information for all the vendors involved, venue and ceremony location as well as discuss the schedule (with a timeline) for the wedding day
• The final meeting will take place 1 week prior to the event to discuss any final details or changes
• We would also attend the rehearsal so that we meet each member of the wedding party and discuss the choreography for the entrance

Day of the wedding:

To make sure the bride and groom have a stress-free day, we will be available to you from morning until mid-night making sure everything runs smoothly according to the plan.

Ceremony

• Talk to the ceremony site contact and make sure everything is ready
• Make sure the right music plays at the right time
• Let ushers know when to begin escorting guests
• Communicate with the bride and groom and help them get ready
• Coordinate the bridal party entrance and walk down the aisle
• Help the bride relax before she walks down the aisle, make sure her veil and train look perfect for the grand entrance
• Handle any emergencies that may arise

Reception

• Talk to the reception venue contact and make sure everything is ready, review the schedule and time for each event
• Add a final touch to all the wedding details like making sure the favors and place cards are all set, chairs and tables look perfect
• Coordinate the bridal party entrance
• Communicate with the DJ, photographer, and videographer to coordinate their efforts and make sure that special dances, cake cutting, and other activities take place at the ideal intervals and that everyone is in place for each event
• Handle any emergencies and special requests
• Coordinate the sendoff

Photo, Video and DJ – We will contact the Photographer, Videographer and DJ before the day of the wedding to discuss any special requests, review the schedule and provide directions; also discuss any special angles or poses that the couple would like to be captured

Transportation – We will contact the transportation company before the wedding day to discuss any special requests and review the schedule

As mentioned before, every wedding is unique so we would customize our packages based on the couple’s requirements. We would be happy to meet with you and discuss any details or questions you might have. Please call to schedule an appointment 216-496-6843 or fill out the contact form available on our website.

With the busy lives we all live, Save the Date cards have become really important in planning a wedding. To give family and friends enough time to plan to attend your wedding, you should send the Save the Date cards at least four-five months in advance. This way they will give your guests enough time to make travel arrangements and plan everything in advance. If you have a lot of guests coming from another state or county you should also include some details about the location of the wedding so they can make hotel reservations.

If your wedding is planned during the Summer – which is not only the most popular wedding season but also the most popular vacation season you should send your save the date cards even earlier that five months as people plan their vacations in advance.

The most popular Save the Date are actually the magnets. What’s really unique about the magnets is that it will really not allow your guests to forget about you and if you go visit them after a year or so you’ll still find that magnet somewhere on their fridge.

Emails are also a nice way to send your Save the Date. Also, with an email you actually save more than just the date since they are so inexpensive. Most wedding invitation providers that have an in house designer can easily create a Save the Date email for you. When I say email don’t think about a plain text email but a really creative one that matches your overall wedding theme and possibly include pictures. If you decide for the email as your Save the Date make sure you talk to computer savvy person as you want people to be able to see your Save the Date. Also try to have everything in the body of the email and avoid attachments.

The traditional Save the Date is the card; this card sometimes matching the invitation which is not that original. However there are really creative Save the Date card designs that allow the bride and groom to make it personal and appealing and make it worth for the guests to Save the Date.

Here are some short and simple Save the Date texts:

Save the Date

SARAH and JIM

July 21, 2012

Invitation to Follow

 An event you don’t want to miss!

***

Michelle and Greg are getting married!

Save the Date April 28, 2012

*invitation to follow 

***

David Hughes + Olivia Michelson

On Saturday, August 11, 2012

In Cleveland, Ohio

={the happy} mr. & mrs. 

***

Please mark your calendar

Kelly & William

7.11.12

Invitation to follow

***

We are getting married!

Lindsay & Connor

September 29, 2012

Sacred Heart Church

Cleveland, Ohio

Invitation to follow

Please Save the Date!

 ***

Save the Date for the wedding of

Michelle Wagner and John Berwick

05.05.2012

Invitation to follow

******

As Summer ends it makes room for the wonderful and rich colors of Autumn. We captured some of these colors in our Fall Collection for Wedding Invitations. To blend even more with nature, these invitations are crafted on recycled paper containing at least 30% post-consumer fibers.

This line of wedding invitations truly reflects nature’s beauty. Here are some examples from our collection. To see more, contact us to schedule an appointment – 216-496-6843!

Celebrating something this fall? Try our NEW and delicious Chocolate Chestnut Cake!

Today we had so much fun making cookies with our 4 year old (on average) friends. Please meet Saya (3), Noni (almost 4) and Lily (almost 5). It was great to have them in our kitchen and they had a blast too. The cute little, colorful aprons were purchased from the New House Project studio. You will soon find them on Etsy or you can visit their blog www.newhouseproject.com.

the result ….

I think sparklers are a great way to add more glamour to a wedding and for a long time I’ve been trying to find a good source to purchase sparklers. Finally I found Sparkle, LLC and I’m sharing this with everybody. Please check the great selections of sparklers they offer. Their creative ideas and photo galary will definitely give you some fun ideas for your special day – www.sparklersonline.com.