Blast from the past. American Idol alum Dianna DeGaramo. Wow. Just wow. As we say in the South. Bless her heart. Wow. Okay so this looks homemade to me. Someone in DECA at the local high school was in competition? I don't know. This is just not good. She looks great though!

In the words of Heidi Klum...."when there is nothing else to wear there is always purple." And how. This was just the girlfriend. Still....she probably didn't know you only need to call your local Neiman Marcus or Saks and tell them your boyfriend is Luke Bryan and they will dress you. Maybe not for free....but they can help. Even brides don't get that. She is lovely though. Just a harsh color for the red carpet especially when you wear drapes.



Jeanette McCurdy knew to call Neimans. How do I know? I tried that dress on just yesterday and I even thought at the time the dress would be so much better with a belt. Hello. I should be a stylist. NOT!!! She looked fabulous and dressed to match her age which I love!



Uh huh. Living example of why country doesn't do well on the red carpet sometimes. This fabric looks like patio furniture. Just sayin'.


And again....little too much country. Shorter jacket would have been a bit better.



Whatever happened to Bryan White? I don't know.....but his wife looks amazing. Love it all. The dress is fine. Accessories great. Even Bryan has his pants tailored perfectly. Most of the men on the red carpet didn't. See above!



Not sure why Lady Antebellum peeps dressed to match..but I didn't like it. And I hate skinny jeans on a man. But more so I hate skinny dress pants on a man. GROSS. It's just creepy to me.


Kris Kristofferson is just to me a sweet sweet man. What's not sweet are those shoes, pants or the scowl on his face. I think he is from the time where you didn't have a stylist. But, someone could have taped his pants if nothing else.




Well there is always purple Whitney. This is a Davids Bridal knock off in my opinion. I hate the fabric hanging down. The whole thing is a mess. It's a bridesmaid dress with a longer slit.



If you can't take the red carpet serious.........then just dont' come. Just stay home. Or pick up a shift at the Renaissance Fair. Whatever. But, just don't hurt our eyes.



I guess everyone knws I love this dress. I've said it in the last few months in my other blog post when I showed Penelope Cruz in this in another color. But, I still love this dress above. It's beautiful and it's a classic. I would love to have that skirt. If I could do it all over again my wedding dress would have had that bottom.



Miranda Lambert went to Kellie Picklers stylist. This is reynolds wrap. I don't like it. But, it doesn't fit her properly either. The pouring over at the top is just not right.

I can't for the life of me find photos of quite a few people. So If you can..........send them to me. Please!

I feel like a broken record these last few weeks.  But, I some how see more people struggling now more than ever. I try to remember each day that while we are very blessed in this household that there are people within a stones throw from us that are not.  So I am trying to do what I can when I can. 

It's the simplest things that you can do to make someones day so much brighter.  I just took a few minutes to donate a few Thanksgiving dinners to local families in need this year. 

For 29.00 you can make a difference.  I don't think that is very much!  Here is a link! 

http://www.denverfeedafamily.org/

A few years ago I had a problem mother in law on my hands.  Like nobody can even believe me when I tell them.  But, she stole a wedding invite from the bride (my client) as she was addressing them and then she photo copied it.  Wait it gets better.  She sent the photo copied invite out to all the people she wanted to attend.  She was upset about a lot of things.  But, one of them was that she only was given fifty guests in addition to all the family to attend the wedding.  The parents of the bride were more than gracious in my opinion to begin with.  They were paying for the whole thing and it wasn't cheap!  Plus, 50 friends on top of family?  Come on!  That is a lot.

So the MIL sent these invites out.  Nobody knew until rsvps starting coming in.  By coming in they were calling the number written in blue on the photo copied invite.  I'm not kidding you.  It was like........who are these people????????  Do they get that the invite is photo copied?  You really want to attend this wedding?  

It became drama like you don't even know.  It was u-g-l-y.  The groom (who I felt so bad for) went head to head with his dad.  Then his mom had to call to tell people they were not invited.  She only did half the list.  I ended up along with the bride, groom, father of the groom, mother of the bride, and an assistant calling over seventy people.  It was so uncomfortable.  But, it was what it was.  The mother of the groom came unglued. 

SHe was allowed to attend the wedding.  She was not allowed to attend the reception.  I think that was fitting.  She was lucky to get that.  Even her husband was ready to kill her. 
 

Well, I have of course stayed in contact with the bride.  She even tried to come to work full time for me.  She is sweet as can be.  I just adore her.  For the last few years things have gone well with the family dynamics. 

Until today.

My cell phone rang and I still had the mother in law in my phone.  I see the name let's just call her Marge come up.  I almost didn't answer. 

But I did.  Oh how I wish I had not.  

Marge's daughter in law (yes my bride) is pregnant.  Which I knew because I got an invite to her shower and even had a little hand in planning.  I couldn't let it be a bad shower.  I had to make sure her linens were good.  It's a joke because another part of this story is that Marge tried to cancel her linen order during the wedding. 

Marge is in need of a party planner.  She wants me to plan a baby shower for her.  See it's not for her daugther in law.  It's for her.  HER.  She is going to register for baby gifts for the grandchild to be and have all her friends and family come.  And oh while you think about that for a while she is also going to have it on the same afternoon as her daughter in laws shower.

Yeah I won't be planning that.  But, Oh how I hope she gets a clue before she embaresses herself.  I don't feel that bad about this post because she is not my client.  My bride is actually screaming with laughter over this.  She isn't upset and she begged me to blog about it. 

I really will write a book one day because Marge wasn't even the worst mother of the groom to ever deal with.  I had another that once tried to wear a white strapless dress with a bit of crinoline under it.  That's another Jerry Springer episode all together.

I do wish however if Marge does succeed in this that we get a hold of her invite, and photo copy it and cross thru were it says she is registered..and just ask for the gifts to be sent directly to my bride.  Now THAT would be funny!

Either way I would much rather see chicken scratch on a letter than a label.  If you are my dentist fine.  But, if you are my in-laws, parents, brother, cousins........could you just write out our name?  There is someone in the family that to this day we don't know what their handwriting even looks like because not only have they never addressed anything that came into this house, but even thank you notes are never written by them.  Their spouse writes all the thank you notes for them.  It's pretty funny actually.   I wish I could get my spouse to write my notes.  Actually he would if I asked.  But, I am also a control freak who wants to make sure I say thank you exactly the way I want to have it conveyed and after all I relish writing so why would I want someone else to get the joy of writing my notes? 

Why the label thing bugs me is because it is rare that people send holiday cards with notes on them.  It's a mass mailing which I totally get!  But, when did we get so busy that we can't even enjoy the little things in life like sending a letter or card. 

I love seeing letters in the mail with handwritten addressing.  My grandfathers wife Teresa use to send me letters before she died (she was his second wife) and they were always addressed in what looked like a calligraphy pen that she dipped in the inkwell herself.  Then she used old stamps to send them.  She would have twenty different stamps to make up for the 25 cent postage (remember when?)  I kept them all and I am thinking about blowing them up and framing them.  I think they are so unique.  Or I am going to have a few of them framed and put in the bookshelf.  You know how I hate clutter!  This is not one of mine:  But it would be pretty cool just the same hung in a den don't you think?  With a chunky frame or a black sleek one.

The other reason I love writing is due to my love of paper and picking new stationery.  I have so much stationery!  I have formal.  Informal.  Letterpressed.  Engraved (not to be confused with thermo which I have as well) I have pink with orange.  Pink with green.  Pink with white.  Pink with gray (the original formal and only way to do a womans stationery at one time.  It wasn't until the 70's that people started choosing more modern styles.  By modern I mean white with gray or black lettering Oh my!)  Now that I have a daughter you should see her collection.  Her calling cards alone make me weep.  I'm not kidding.   I prayed for a daughter just so I could pick out calling cards (or at least that is what I've been accused of at Reaves Engraving.)  My stamps are a whole other story.  I have embossing and then multi colored with ten different designed ones to choose from. 

Stationery shows are dangerous for me to attend.  My love of sationery is why I also take so much time to help my clients pick out their invites usually.  Because not only does that invite convey the first bit of design element to the wedding for guests, but we also don't want low grade paper weight to be what they are holding either.  Even if it's a formal invite and the basic formal invite at that , you still can make it stand out with the stamp, addressing, ink color, and don't forget hand canceling which doesn't cost very much at all.

This Thanksgiving there are even stamps to buy!  It's a postal service first I hear.  They are really pretty and yes they do have the Macys day parade scenes on them.  But, isn't that Thanksgiving to a T?  I think it is!

 

I was in Montana this weekend and so many vendors that I had from there were saying thank you to me for bringing them the business that I did.  I did have a few vendors from out of state.  But, I knew it was important to drive the ecenomy in the hometown of my clients. 

I have not felt my business slowing down since it's been said we have a recession.  I've been fortunate.  The vendors I work with are always busy.  So in my own way I have kind of forgotten that Denver is suffering. 

I drive thru Cherry Creek and see stores closing.  I thought we had gotten past all that until yesterday.  I was driving by International Villa and couldn't see into the store.  All I could see were signs stating they were going out of business.  And it had a date.  But, I was in too much shock.  Surely I thought to myself they weren't closing for good.  They probably were just moving. 

Yeah, I was wrong.  They are victims of a bad economy and they are closing shop for good.  Their last day is the day after Thanksgiving.  They are still taking orders on all those items that we order for friends getting married and having babies:  Simon Pearce, Vietri, Haviland, and then lets just say all the silver in the world and crystal and china.  I don't know how many of the Lunt baby rattles I had purchased in the past as gifts or the Cunhill hearts.  I guess it wasn't enough to keep the business going that is for sure.

I had over fifty brides in the last five years register there.  I always loved to see what they picked.  I helped as many of them when I could (or was asked) to choose their patterns.  I love when brides pick a formal china, an everyday china (not just a white plate from Crate and Barrel those are for the buffet when you have a party) silverware in stainless, silver for the good china service (or whenever the mood struck them to use it) and of course crystal.  I love when people actually register for the finer things in life.  Not a pot and pan and a trash can.  By the way what is wrong with people that register for trash cans?  I feel the same way about those as I do about seeing a big ole' breast pump on a baby registry.  Let's just keep some things private ya know.  I blame Bed Bath and Beyond for the trash can.  I blame Medela and BRU for the pump.  Tacky.

My favorite glassware to see on a registry was Simon Pearce.  It's magnificent.  I was a fan of the bell collection when it was in production.  Some pieces are no longer available.  Then when you have a baby you usually receive the bowls with their names and date.  When you get married sometimes you get the platter or a bowl with your names and date.  It's a time piece that I love.  I don't know where we will order those items in Denver now.  I know we can go on line, but there is something about going into a pretty store with pretty things and ordering a pretty gift for your loved ones.  I always loved leaving our calling card  so that it could be placed inside the box with the gift and wrapped.  No outside card required and it was the closest thing I could get to feeling like I was in the china department of Belk's in Raleigh.  

I guess this is a sign of the times.  Things change and we all have to change with them.  I know we will continue to have the department stores in town like C&B, Williams Sonoma, Macy's, BB&B.  But, it's just not  going to be the same. 

I never like to say that I am a great planner/coordinator.  Just because I am not good at selling myself.  I can sell a drowning man a glass of water.  Hello I sold my childrens clothing line into Nordstroms when I was an outside sales rep to be part of their top 5 lines.  I can sell.  I'm good at it.   But sell myself?  Not so much.

After these last eight months I will say that I know I was a great planner/designer/coordinator (WHATEVER you want to call me) because my client didn't have a clue as to how much of an issue we were having with the venue owner.  It was Wednesday before her Friday event that I came clean.  Even then I still was glossing over much of it.  I had told her for months that he was being great to work with.  I in the meantime lost sleep nightly.  Why?  Because that's my job.  I'm there to make it smooth for the client.  I am there to deal with the crap so to speak.

In the end I rocked it!!!!!  I surrounded myself once again with great vendors.  Everyone knew what they were doing and were all on the same page: to make my client happy and make it a great event.  I don't micromanage vendors.  I just hire the best of the best. 

It was a surprise party and I am happy (and some what shocked) that it was a surprise for my clients husband.  When I stood behind a wall of pipe and drape looking out for his car, my knees were knocking.  I have never been that nervous.  Not even on my wedding day.  I wish I could have had on video the moment he walked into the room to see a sea of faces that was his face thru the years.  We had masks made with photos from his childhood up to college.  When everyone yelled surprise I cried.  I cried from relief.  He was surprised!  I cried at seeing his face when he saw his grand children.  His children.  His friends.  It was an amazing moment. 

Freg Egan was the photographer for my event and I am dying to see pixs:  www.fredegan.com
And it's probably not the right thing for me to say but he was super cute.  I really liked him.  I actually think I scared him a little.  I mean let's be serious.  I am kind of loud.  Kind of super outgoing friendly.  I don't shake hands.  I hug.  I tell you everything about me or about some random story I have in my life within minutes of meeting me.  I have a story for everything.  Needless to say it was fun to work with Fred  and his side kick for the event Jory Cordy (who is not really a side kick.  He has his own photography business.  They were just a funny combo of Batman and Robin in Bozeman for my event.)  I had to find someone new after James Christianson ditched me for a bigger and better event this past weekend.  I am glad he pointed me in the direction of Fred Egan.  I hope it was not the last time I work with him that is for sure!  Seriously......girls if you are single......well.....if you end up with FE after this blog post.......I call dibs on planning your wedding.

Flowers were by Country Flower in Bozeman.  Susan McGee owns the shop and she once again came shining thru.  I adore her and her staff.  When I walk into her shop I feel so at home.  Gigi is her head designer and she is magnificent.  She could easily hold her own with Preston Bailey.  I never ever ask for a mock floral or even a description of flowers from them.  I wait til the day of delivery and they have definitely proven that there is a reason to trust them.  When I went by the shop on Tuesday and saw the mantle piece in the cooler I could have cried with joy.  My client didn't want fluffy.  She didn't want over the top.  Susan and Gigi did something that showed the birthday boys love of the tropics, and kept it masculine at the same time.  My favorite moments from the two days of set-up was when Susan said I once again pulled off the linen.  I sent her a napkin with silver marquis and a napkin of persimmon to go off of for the fireplace room (where guests would dine.)  For the foyer I sent her an over lay of blue geneva and a copper chair tie.  So she had all these colors to pull together in florals.  I knew she wanted to kill me at one point when she said she didn't want to talk about candles particularly blue ones ever again.  We only had a few thousand dollars worth of tapers, pillars and votive candles.  It all came together in such a way that everyone agreed it was different (thank goodness) and stunning.  I was beyond happy with it.  I wish Susan and Gigi would come to Colorado or would just travel with me.  I love them!  www.countryflower.com

I was fortunate to be able to have the cake done by Lisa Bailey from D Bar.  www.dbardesserts.com  She will probably never want to hear the word Gonzaga, bloodhound, New Jersey or cake in the same sentence again.  Lisa and her assistant Michelle flew to Bozeman to build this amazing cake for me.  Now I have to say normally when you build a very detailed cake (that is 3 feet tall) it tastes like CRAP when you finally cut into it.  When I say this cake was detailed........you have no idea.  It had everything from cows to flags to a plane and a bottle of Dom on it.  It was amazing.  Everyone was stunned by it.  The birthday boy thought that was the 'surprise' for the end of the evening.  We left the cake on display for a while.  It was really cute to watch guests come up and try to figure the cake out.  Lisa was doing a question and answer session for all of them.  In the end we cut into that thing .....and let me say it had to be shipped in boxes and flown in from Denver.  That cake was so freaking good.  People were raving.  What was even funnier, that cake layer (there were five I think) sat out all night.  When we were there the next morning we couldn't help but grab a bite.  It was still moist.  And that night the next layers were cut into at the dinner party at the house and that thing was still moist.  But, wait.  I'm not done.  On Sunday when I was back at the house on my way to the airport the family had cut into it for breakfast and that thing was STILL moist and had everyone scrambling for a piece.  She also made cookies and they too were a hit.  I am excited to have Lisa only a few blocks from my house.  I like to say when I introduce her that she is the brains behind D Bar.  I think her hubby Keegan ( you may have heard of him) would agree.  She is so talented it makes me want to weep.  And if you ever get to do a cake tasting of hers, thank you lucky stars. 

Next I have to say that my weekend would not have gone as smooth without my BFFWP Kelly McWilliams.  I've known Kelly for four years.  Maybe five.  I don't know.  All I know is that she is a blessing in my life as a friend as a business confident.  I don't know what I would do without her.  I can call her any time of the day and I know I am going to scream or perhaps howl with laughter.  She is hysterical.  We are very much a like.  But, then there are things we are not a like about.  That helps me think outside my box and I think I do the same for her sometimes.  I just love her.  I don't think I would be where I am without her.  I adore her.  She graciously came to Bozeman for four days to help me and helped me more than I ever could have even thought to ask her to.  http://www.destinationnapleswedding.com/  She knows what I need without me knowing it!  She is the best! 

My next vendor that I couldn't have done without is Vootie Productions.  When it was time to book our talent for the night I knew I had to have someone else take over.  I could have done it.  But, I also would be in a nut house right now.  I priced out talent but then went to someone that would deal with the details (rooms, set up, rider, etc.)  I went  back to my friend Tom Garnsey in Bozeman.  He is one of the nicest guys EVER.  I can't say enough about him.  He just takes the lead and makes sure it happens.  He is amazing.  http://www.vootie.com/
It wasn't our first time working together this past weekend.  I just hope it wasn't our last. 

Jeni Fleming was our first act of the evening.  She is as I have said before the definition of cute as a button.  I LOVE HER.  I love her band.  But she is the best.  When she sings it sounds like but even better than Natalie Merchant.  She also has way better style.  We were all dying over her dress on Friday night, necklace and shoes.  She is one of my favorite people in the world.  I am going to work at finding them reasons to come to Colorado this coming year.  She and her husband crack me up because they have the same sense of humor as I do.  I am lucky to have worked with them twice now.  I wish everyone could be so lucky to at least hear her sing one song in their lives.  www.jenifleming.com

Of course my weekend wouldn't have been complete without Chris Isaak making an apperance and performing at the party.  Okay I will come clean.  I was not that excited about Chris Isaak.  Not that I didn't like him.  I just had bad memories because my ex-boyfriend in Raleigh had a girlfriend that loved Chris Isaak.  When we dated it was a sore subject.  Long story.  I always think of Chris Isaak when he was on Friends and Phoebe's boyfriend.  Remember?  He had to tell her to stop singing stories to the kids about truthful things.  Like the little song she wrote about the cows in the field go moo.  Then they get sent to the slaughter house.  It was kind of funny.  Then she tries to teach him Smelly Cat and how to play the guitar.  HILARIOUS!  Well, needless to say he gave one of the best shows ever.  It was so good.  His voice range has actually only gotten better with his age.  AND he is super cute.  He came out in his rhinestone suit at the end of the evening and rocked it.  Kelly and I got our pixs taken with him when he did the meet and greet with the family.  He's really down to earth.  If you ever get the chance definitely go see him.  Even his crew was amazingly friendly and great to work with.  You can tell they love working together.

So we were finally getting thru the last course.  I was getting everyone in place.  I was standing at a table in the performance room and making notes on my timeline.  Actually maybe I was putting on lip gloss and checking my phone.  I think that was more like it.  My lips were so dry this past week.  Anyway, I just look up and there he was.  Jillian (his dresser) was walking by me and I just said to her "And there he is."  She laughed because I know she could tell that all the girls in the room were now locked into Mr. Chris Isaak on stage less than three feet from us.  He was in his blue suit on stage and he was starting to sing.  My knees went weak.  Kelly was lighting candles.  She nearly burned the centerpiece.  Michelle from D Bar was some how in his spotlight.   Later we all had to relive the moment we saw him together like were on our way home from our first New Kids on the Block concert. 

The little cool part of my Friday was that I got to go up and see his wardrobe with his dresser Jillian.  Who by the way I loved.  She was a hoot.  Really cool.  His suits are insane and his shoes are all pretty flashy.  

My event this weekend would not have been as perfect as it was if Whirled Peas would not have once again made the trip to Bozeman for me.  I needed a caterer to be the support to the chef that was flown in from NY.  Nick Agro came in as support for Paolo Latannzi the NY chef and ran with it.  I have to say I walked into the kitchen on Wednesday morning which was one of the biggest prep days of the week and I felt like a proud mama bird.  The WP's sous chefs were holding their own (rightly so) with Paolo's staff from NY and they were all having such a good time together.  They were all very professional and getting the job done.  I had never for a second doubted any of them working together.  But, it was nice to see for myself that I had been right.  Whirled Peas not only turns out the best food in Denver in the catered world, but they also have the highest level of service.  I love working with Nick and Stephen Tanner from Whirled Peas.  We laugh a lot I realized recently.  They just get what I want and I can tell them what I need.  I don't have to worry when they are catering.  I appreciate that so much.  http://www.whirledpeascatering.com/  

It was a good weekend.  My clients were happy.  Their guests made a point to tell me they were happy and even had praise for me.  That is rare at an event. One or two guests will make sure they say something.  But in the case of this family and their friends it's dozens!  I love working with this family and I left being told t's not the last time.  Thank goodness!   It's kind of funny how so many vendors from Colorado and beyone (sound familiar?) have fallen in love not only with the family, but with the local vendors, the city, state and the people.  We all want to keep going to Bozeman if we can. 

I've always said that I can't claim to be the best (although I know after ten years in this business and over three hundred weddings/events I am doing something right!) but I am great at putting the correct vendors together for my clients.  I love that part of my job.  I'm not picking vendors that are friends or that are available.  I pick vendors based on their personalities, service, and how they will mesh with others along with achieving the vision of a client.  It was a successful event weekend and I so appreciate the vendors working so hard for my client (and me!)

I can't wait until my next one like this!

Cheers!

 

The older I get the more of an emotional wreck I become.  I can cry at anything some days. 

Today on the way home to meet the nanny (the person who will be making me cry here soon as she leaves for the Peace Corp.) I stopped to pick up coffee.  They asked if I would donate $2 to our local military for gift packages they are putting together.  Without missing a second I said I would give four. If I can spend $3.50 on a coffee drink then I can give something to someone who is in another country fighting for me to have (and I don't want to say so much the right) instead lately I think it's more so to give me the freedmom to buy that coffee and hopefully not be in line with a suicide bomber.  I started to tear up.  I was having a moment......until.

The man who ordered behind me declined.  DECLINED.  I always like to say that I don't like to fight.  But, oh don't worry.  I will fight if need be.  I looked at him.  He looked at me.  The girl behind the counter was looking at me looking at him.  The person in line behind him was looking at him.  And I just couldn't keep my mouth shut.  I'm from the South.  We are nothing if we are not patriotic.  In the South we love God.  We love our country.  End of story. 

I heard myself asking why he declined.  He said rather uncomfortably that he can't give to everything.  Says the man with the $5.00 coffee drink.  Jackass.  As I spoke my voice was shaking because I was so mad.  I reminded him that there are many soliders in another country fighting a war.  They are away from their families.  Friends.  Homes.  I'm certain they would love to have the chance to walk into their local Starbucks on any given day of the week and buy a coffee drink and have the option to say yes or no to a $2 donation.  That money is after all going to go to a gift pack of coffee for them to enjoy during the HOLIDAYS away from their family. 

And with that it was on.  Before I could break out into a song of God Bless America the woman in line behind him jumped in.  There was a man sitting at a table working on hs laptop and now he was saying something.   Nobody used any foul language.  But, it wasn't a pretty so to speak for about a minute maybe two.

I am happy to report that he did give money.  Ten dollars to be exact.  And he left with a round of applause.  So it was worth it that my blood boiled and that I made something my business that really shouldn't have been my business. 

I recently had a friend send an email with the letter attached that she was sending to her daycare.  The letter explains it all. 

The email was a reminder though that we all need to remember to do more for the military.  As she put it she is tired of the “smiling empty" Just let me know if you need anything” people

That made me stop and think about myself.  I offer to do things for her all the time.  I think we all do that.  "Is there anything you need?"  We say that to people that are sick, that have lost someone in their lives, to people that are getting married, to people that are going back to work or who may have lost their jobs.  But, do we mean it? 

I mean it 100% of the time.  Because I don't offer to do anything for anyone if I wouldn't want to be taken up on it.  My friend (that sent this email) actually took me up on the offer recently in the form of putting together a Blurb book for her.  A photographer had taken tons of photos of her family before her husband was deployed.  She wanted a little book to send to him but didn't want to do it.  I took a week or two getting it perfected.  I felt honored to be given the chance to do something for family!  I thanked her for asking anything of us.  I actually felt relieved that I was doing anything for her.  

I know it's hard for her right now.  She has two girls and her husband is gone.  Her husband was self employeed and to be quite honest he has lost his business due to being deployed.  So forget about the time away.  Coming home is going to be stressful as well in a year and a month from now!  I believe he is gone 14 months to Afghanistan.

I asked her if I could post her letter on my blog.  I told her I'd protect the name of the daycare.  She said not to.  But, I will just put a twist on it. 

I hope that after you read it that it will remind you (like it does me) that at this time as Americans we do need to remember that we have a lot of families that are being inconvenienced and that we can't be the empty smilers.  We have to have empathy that is follwed thru with action.  If giving just $2 for a soldier to enjoy coffee on Thanksgiving morning in the Mideast is the only thing I do right this year.......so be it!  I do try to do more.  Something is better than nothing.  Don't just smile and say "Do you need anything?"  and then forget about it.  

This weekend Sarah and Brett were married at a private home in Brek.  It was the perfect weather.  Last week it snowed.  But, by Saturday the sun was out and the snow had melted up at the house and the grass was even drying out.  I'm sure the guests in heels were more than happy about that for the afternoon wedding.

Sarah from Primrose in Boulder did the flowers.  http://www.paintedprimrose.com/  They were so pretty.  The bride cried when she saw her bouquet .  I love that when a bride loves her flowers and decor so much that she is moved to tears!  She tucked a tiny photo of her little dog that passed away this year into the bouquet as well.  It was so sweet.  The pots we aged for six months to get them to be pantene.  After looking at those things mold on their own under a layer of yogurt I never want to part with the pots.  I love an aged terra cotta pot.  I wish I had a garden that was big enough to house fifty of them.  The bigger the better of course.

I can live the rest of my life and not have to drive up into the mountains with two huge heavy tree stumps.  Really!  Sarah and Brett got married out in the back of the house in what I can only describe as field like.  I am anxious to see what the professional photos look like because mine of course are not that great.  I grabbed an old camera that morning to take with the newer one.  I like to be prepared.  Thank goodness I did.  The newer Sony is broken.  So I took all my photos on the older camera.  Oddly the older camera is still my fave.  It's so much easier to grab a quick pix with!

Sarah called yesterday to say thank you and she also reported that her cake from D Bar was to die for.  www.dbardesserts.com
I'm not surprised.  The tasting had been to die for.  Lisa did a beautiful job.  I have to say that Lisa has now done five cakes for me or a client and every single one of them has been to rave reviews.  I need to stop thinking about it because their lemon curd with yellow cake is to die for.  I may need to walk up there for lunch today with my child. 

The professional pixs will be on the new website.........of course with that said.  It's time to stop blogging and to start working on copy for my site AGAIN.  If only I had ten to twelve extra hours each day of the week this week.


 

I really want a big ole' 4 wheel driving car when it was time to shop this year.  I had a list.  I wanted heated seats, leather, navigation, moon roof, and roomie enough to haul a few things around.  Not a lot because I've been in business for ten years now.  I don't have to schlep like I did when I started out.  I love it!  But, I do need space for things sometimes.

My husband from the get go tried to talk me into a Mercedes.  I said hell to the no from the get go.  I just didn't want a foreign car that was going to cost a lot in maintenance.  Plus, I don't really see myself as a nice car person.  I see myself as someone that should be in a big ole' Suburban.  Actually I still have this part of me that wants to drive an old Bronco that is convertible topped and is loud, big and is different.  I'll never be a mom in a minivan or a station wagon.  It's not in my future.  I can promise you that.  It doesn't matter how many kids or how many events a year.  I'm in an SUV for life. 

I ended up with a Mercedes.  It was not my choice.  I love the car now.  It's very comfortable.  It has all the things I wanted.  And honestly the sales rep did it for me.  Given that I work in a service industry, I appreicate when someone gives great service.  When we went to the lot that day he handed us the keys and said see ya.  He didn't even have our license I don't think.  We went for a drive and I liked it because every other car I had to drive with some cheesy sales rep in the backseat.  I didn't feel like I could really drive it.  Then throw in that Frank had on a Carolina blue golf shirt and as it turned out was from Raleigh..........SOLD. 

Today after picking up flowers my trunk was giving me problems.  It was making all these weird sounds.  I was scared it was going to fly open while I was flying down the highway to get back.  Lucky for me it didn't.  Today I had Caroline with me and she fell asleep as I dropped off the flowers to home and called Murray to take the car in.  So they said to bring it in.  It was the most nerve racking drive for me!

I drove up.  Caroline is sound asleep.  They had people directing you to the service entrance.  I had this very nice guy wait on me.  I told him to please be kind.  My child was sleeping.  Megan who works at the Murray service department came out wrote my order up.  I had been told there were not any loaners.  But, I think they took pity on me because of Caroline.  Within a few minutes I had a loaner.  The guy picked up Caroline who was still asleep in her car seat and moved the car seat to the loaner car and all I had to do was sign a few papers and get the run down of what to do with the car for the weekend.  

There is a reason you buy a car from a dealership.  I was actually closer today to another Mercededs dealership when my car started to act up.  But, I thought I would go to the people I knew.  I was in and out of the service area in less than a half hour.  It was fabulous!  They were so nice and so helpful.  I can't say enough.  My car is ready but I can't get back there today and I have to be out early for a wedding tomorrow.  They were fine with me keeping the loaner until Monday.  How nice is that? 

I'm not going to pretend that we didn't pay for that service.  But, I actually paid a heck of a lot more for my old Jeep and (if you are from Raleigh and had a Jeep from David O'Neals you can be my witness) I never had great service at all for my Jeep.  There was this man named Robert Earl who was less than nice to work with.  He never had a loaner (even though I paid for one in my extended warranty) and he was fine with leaving you sitting for hours. 

I felt a bit pretentious for getting a Mercedes.  I think there is a stereo type that goes with it.  But, after today and the customer service I received I will forever buy a Mercedes or BMW just so that I can be this happy when it's always such a pain dealing with a car that is not working at 100% for you. 

I think I am going to write Mercedes a letter and sing Megan and the other staffs praises!  They are all wonderful!!!!! 

 

He cut them up at the mountain house and brought them down. He was cutting down trees in an effort to do the fire control I believe.  Or maybe there were a few trees that were dead and needed to be taken out.  I'm not sure.  I do listen but sometimes things don't register with me because I am thinking ahead always of how to be creative.  So for example when I heard there were trees being cut down I knew I finally had my supply of wood pieces for 2010. 
 

I think RSVP Shindig has done great this year on being green.  In fact as I sit here this morning waiting on a site visit arrival I am reading notes on the back of invites that are three years old.  For one of our weddings a bride traded wedding planners half way through.  When she started working with me her invite order had been placed.  Well she needed invites for 250 guests.  So basically cut that in half and she only needed 125.  The previous planner helped her order them and they ordered extra in case there was a mistake. Great idea.  Only there was an order placed for 275.  Way too many.  The bride told me to keep the extra because she couldnt stand to look at them.  It made her blood boil because the invites were not cheap.  She spent an extra $650 when she didn't need to.,  That money would have been better spent on an upgrade of her flowers.  Or adding a signature cocktail to the menu.  Or she could have had an extra course at dinner.  Or she could have had the custom aisle runner.  Or she could have had her hair and make-up done on site along with bridal party members.  

She still had a fabulous wedding.  But, I did feel bad for her over those invites.  However, it's been a good way to use the paper.  I make notes on the cards and keep them on hand at all times.  My to do list is beautiful since it's on Vera Wang paper!

Happy Friday everyone!

Well, it was a fabulous evening of fashion last night.  And it was also a pretty entertaining show for the most part.  I think they are usually pretty boring (unless of course you have Gelina, Brad and Jennifer all in one room with mulitple cameras watching/taping their every move.) 

I think we all knew there would be way too many refereces made about the Kanye moment from MTV the week prior.  I was kind of over it.

I don't think there were a lot of surprises in fashion.  But, I think there were a few predictable outfits.  Like don't you always know that an Arquette will be in attendance and in something just off the mark?  Come on.  Given.

 
Just in time for Halloween!   She just needed a broom and a pointy hat and maybe a big black pot of boiling water.  Where was the dry ice for the fake fog?  Terrible.  Just terrible.  Unfortunately her hair and make-up was awesome!  But, you didn't notice it.  Kristin Wiig needs to fire her stylist! 

Kind of a boring design for Julia Louis Dreyfus.  But, the color was beautiful and she looked great.  I love her!  I think she is so funny.  And she doesn't age!  What's that about?


First of all I am not into these young stars.  I don't really know this girl other than her name.  Blake Lively.  Love the name.  Don't love that she is apparently a new role model for young girls and weighs all of 100 lbs and has a dress on that doesn't fit her age.  The hair.  Is.  Heinous.  It's like straw or something.  Terrible!  The dress is by Versace and it was not meant for her.  It didn't do a thing for me.  I think the color was even bad.  I think I like the shoes though.  And where is her handbag?  She needed one.  One with a sandwich in it for her to eat. 


I loved Drew Barrymores dress.  I really loved it the first time I saw Penelope Cruz wearing it in Versace a few years ago.  Remember? 


Okay it wasn't the exact same dress.  But, it reminds me of it.  Drews was by Monique and I hope this is a sign of what her wedding dresses are going to look like at the next show.  I love her taste.  I thought Drew looked fabulous.  She is either fabulous or terrible when it comes to the red carpet.  She is never an in between it seems like. 



Holly Hunter looked good!  I like this dress a lot.  She is rail thin too.  I think she had a great dress for the evening.  I loved her hair!
 

 This is just not right.  I swear it's like she picked the shoes first.  Kyra Sedgwick had to have had it in her head that she was going to wear the shoes all along.  See the heel color?  Then she sent her stylist out (no doubt kicking and screaming) to find a dress to match the heels.  Because obviously black is just too predictable and boring.  A mauve dress with ironed on applique was clearly the way to go for Kyra.  This was not a good choice.  Not even close. 




I could have told you this is what Jennifer Love Hewitt would wear.  We've seen it  before on her.  Just in different colors.  She did look very pretty and yellow was a nice change on the carpet last night.  I think she may have been the only one in yellow as a matter of fact.  So bravo!

I am all for seeing a pregnant woman dressed up and having a good time.  But at some point you have to tent the body because nobody really wants to see it.  Sorry just my opinion.  And I was a pregnant girl that didn't show until 24 to 26 weeks and I was excited to finally fit into the bigger looser dresses. 

 

 How many kids has Heidi Klum had now?  I swear she is always pregnant!  Right?  This dress is lovely.  Seeing her in it?  Not so much for me.  I didn't like this look on her.  Yes she does look good for being this far along.  But, I am not a fan of the perfect P look.  She looks like the letter P from the chest down.  It's too much.  The rings on each finger also.  Don't get me started.  Where is she going after the show?  To beat someone up?  That was tacky in my opinion.  I'm also not a fan of earrings that look like loose hair hanging down. 

Okay prepare yourselves because I'm not going to be nice.  But not for why you think.This was not a good look for Christina Applegate.  She usually sparkles and has the best dress choices. This one wasn't horrible.  But, she usually does better.  Her make-up also made her look too old.  The black liner was not great. 

I think since she was diagnosed with breast cancer we have all wanted to see her do well.  She had such a speedy recovery after surgery and has been a success story.  But, when I saw her this summer in a magazine (I think it was People) where she was caught smoking a cigarette.........she is at the bottom of my list now.  I have no patience for people that are given second chances and don't take advantage of it.  It's so stupid to smoke after you have been diagnosed with cancer.  So while I don't wish her anything but a good life.  I don't have any hopes for her to have a good red carpet walk again in the future.  Because for me it will never really matter what she is wearing.  As long as I know she has a pack of cigs in that little bag of hers I will never be able to get past how she is like the dumb blond she played on Married with Children.......I hope that changes eventually.



I love this photo because there are two women to talk about.  Jessica Lange had a facelift.  Believe it people.  Unfortunately they pulled and did something wrong because by now it should have relaxed and she would look fresh for her age.  Instead she is looking waxy with lines.  Not the look you are going for when you have your face cut off and sewn back on.   The dress was lovely though.  As was her hair and accessories.

Michael J Foxes best accessory is in the background of this photo.  His wife Tracey.  I think I like the dress.  Then the next second I don't.  I'm not sure what it is but I think the hair, necklace and dress do not all go together.  It's like "one of these does not belong."  She looks great though for her age.  She is such an upbeat woman for what she deals with daily with her husbands illness. 



Well, when you don't have anything else to wear always look at your bed spread or the curtains.  Clearly this is what Chandra did.  Doesn't that flower pattern remind you of puffy paint?  Remember how we all made shirts with puffy paints when we were like 11 or 12 at girl scout camp or at dance camp?  Stating your team name or the names of your BFFs?  It's nice to see that you don't have to give puffy paint up even when you are on a hit television show and on the red carpet. 

Part II later today.
 

I was talking to my client just now and saying that I couldn't believe everyone is coming to their party.  We sent out 150 invites and only have two rsvps in that are a no.  She said "Well, when some of my friends heard you were planning the party they said they would rearrange their schedule to be there.  They love your work so much.  They all think it's going to be a fabulous party." 

It made me get a litte teary eyed.  But, then I quickly pulled it together because I have to chase down twenty invites still.  I am going to pretend that they have never been to one of my events.  Actually I don't think they have since they are all in another country.  Which is going to make calling them a bit of work!

Either way I am glad that people like my parties (that I plan and don't pay for but get paid for. It's a dear diary moment.  Or dear blog.  Whatever)
 

Yesterday I had a long and busy day.  I know that a lot of people don't like to be busy.  ME?  LOVE IT!  I worked non-stop on events and when I wasn't in a meeting or on the phone with a vendor I was on the phone trying to get photos taken care of for my website or talking about my website.  For relaxation I made travel arrangements yesterday between making time lines. 

At the end of the day I realized I had not even looked at Facebook for the day. I also had not been on Twitter.  Which I was perfectly okay with.  I actually hate that we are now in a place where people send a message out saying that they are going to the grocery store or tell what they are doing like eating a sandwich.  It's ridiculous!  But, unfortunately in my business everyone is saying if you aren't on Twitter or at the very least Facebook then you might as well hang it up.  Whatever.  I don't believe this.  I have a bride right now that asked to pay more if I promised not to Tweet her wedding the day of.  Done and done.  But, how odd that a bride would think of this in her contract. 

But, my point was that I don't get how people have time to Tweet their lives when they are actually busy living their lives. 

I didn't even have a second to stop and say "I'm so busy."  I don't text when I'm driving.  I can't do it while I'm on the phone anyway.  I spend my time when in front of the computer working.  I attended this conference for work years ago where they tried to encourage that you don't answer email but once an hour.  Don't read it.  Don't look at it.  Just work and then look at a certain time to see if you have email.  I try to do this often because honestly I get a ton done.  It doesn't break my work flow to stop and read that there is an Evite in my inbox or that I have pixs from a friend from an outing at the zoo.  I stay on task. The other day I tried to make this huge effort with Twitter.  I was going to update and then make comments back.  Oh I had such hopes of being a good Tweet that day. 

Yeah that lasted for a half hour.  

So while I don't buy into that I have to tell my lifes business on these new social networks (I thought blogging told more than I needed to share anyway) I do think they are good.  I like that I am some what in touch with friends and people in my business more often.  I also like to see which vendors are being buddy buddy.  It's making it easier for me to see who would be a good match for my clients and even to work with RSVP Shindig. So I like it.  But, it seems like we all live in this big glass fish bowl these days.  Not sure if I am loving that or not yet!

 

I am also shooting table tops over th enext month and doing two interviews for a possible magazine.  I say possible because you never really interview with the magazine itself.  You interview with the writer who is submitting their article to the publication.  It's kind of funny how the real world of media works.  

Keep checking back...............

I will have my new site soon.  Hooray!
 

One of my favorite parts of a wedding day is when a bride and groom exchange gifts.  It's not a must by any means.  But, more of the traditional couples I have found keep to this custom.
 

I know it's silly but some of the best photos are when the bride is handed the card and a little box via a best man or a friend of the bride and groom.  Seeing her open this special gift and not knowing what the groom has chosen for her to keep for years to come that will be a reminder of those last moments before they said I Do at the alter.  The same goes for the grooms that open their gifts amongst their friends in the private setting of a house or room where they have been getting ready. 

One of my favorite gift ideas is a watch.  I know it sounds some what boring.  But, to me it symbolizes the beginning of time together.  I know!  Cheesy!

Picking out a watch can be pretty difficult.  In fact it wasn't until my husband and myself were on vacation and coming up on our 4th anniversary that we finally found the watch he wanted.  For years he has claimed to want a Tag.  HA!  He never liked any of the ones we looked at.  It was horrible.  I should have actually just picked out a watch for him.  But, in our true tradition we never get anything until we know that's the one thing we really want.  While on vacation we finally found a Breitling that was everything he had been looking for.  It will be around for years.  It's enough of an importance piece that when we recently did our will it was listed to be kept aside in a safety deposit box should anything happen to us so that it would go to our daughter as an heirloom in the family.  It wasn't the value that meant so much to us.  It's the sentimental value that meant more.  While he didn't get it on our wedding day, he did get it just before she was born and when we took our last big trip prior to our daughters arrival.

Now that I do destination weddings and events in Montana I have found one store that I really like for watches is located in the adorable downtown section of Bozeman.  www.bozemanwatch.com  Bozeman Watch Company has taken the old world charm of a watch and put a modern spin on it.  It's not going to be a place to look for a watch to run with as much as a place to look for pocket watches and watches for everyday wear for work or just because. 

When you see their watches I feel like they have taken inspiration from the Big Sky country for the designs.  They have limited pieces and they take great pride in them for a reason.

They (and I think this is right but I could be wrong since my last visit there) only make 200 at most of the collector edition styled watches.  Which it's kind of neat to think that chances of you ever running into someone with your watch are slim to none.

This has got me in a frenzy.  I don't know where to start. 

First I like the dress from the waist down.  The top reminds me of this purse my mom had from her prom in the 60's.  It was silver with fake big big rhinestones.  I loved it.  I wanted that thing so bad when I was little.  I had to hide and play with it.

Her hair and make up looked good. 

She is very attractive in my opinion. 

Can we talk about the stripper shoes?  Okay those are so clear acrylic.  I am dying right now.  DYING.  And the red toes to boot. 

I will give her points for being herself.  Where was her Kurtain Kraft accessory?
 

Then there was Wendy Williams:
YIKES

These two..........AGAIN.  I love Ellen.  Love Portia.  Would love to see Portia eat a granola bar or something.  But, I am a bit tired of what these two look like on the red carpet together.  It's always the same.  Portia is the girl in the relationship.  WE GET IT.  She has the dress and the accessories.  Oh and hair and makeup done.  Ellen always brings the suit.  And suspenders.  What's that about?  And she brought the man hands.  I am showing my age in my hands too.  But, if mine ever look like this I will seek out surgery.  Or botox for the hands.  I am not going to say much about the shoes.  Because I want to be nice. 

The shirt Ellen has on is interesting.  If it was made with sleeves like that.......hmmmmmmmmmmmm.  I wouldn't mind seeing a pearl or some type of interesting button or maybe not a button front.  Take those sleeves and put with a ballgown skirt.  It would be Sharon Stone from her Gap sweater in the 90's.  Still it could be interesting.  Here well.......not so much.



Do you remember Tatayan Ali?  From Fresh Prince?  I have no clue what she is doing now.  Perhaps something in daytime tele since she attended the show.  Just a guess.  Not loving this dress.  Not hating either.  But I would have liked a shoe that was a color.  Something fun.  Because this is oh too silver fox like.  Not the best choice to me.

 

When I saw Susan Lucci from the neck up I thought she was fabulous.  Then I saw the whole dress.   Not so much.  It's too busy and it looks like a prom dress.  
Her dress on stage was better!  The pose says it all don't you think?  I'm kind of embaressed for her right now and that I am even posting it. 

 

I take it the color of choice last night was anything in a fruit color.  Apricot, plum, orange, tangerine, lime.  You get my point.

When Big Bird out dresses most of the nominees.......well you know there were clearly some stylist with issues.


One of only two of the beloved Golden Girls made an appearance.  Choice of outfit wasn't a hit but who cares!  It's Betty White and who the heck doesn't love Betty White?  If there is someone who doesn't.........I don't even want to know them myself.

I can't find a photo of Jennie Garth.  She had on an orange dress (sticking with the mandator colors as dictated by the Emmy board) and she looked good!  I thought it was perfect.
 

All in all I think everyone dressed well.  But, I also think people had a hard time knowing how to dress.  Some people went too short.  Yes, they are Day Time Emmy awards.  But, it was a black tie function.  Sometimes short dresses aren't the best choice. 

Now I am wondering WHEN we are going to see one shouldered wedding dresses finally taking over for the strapless and when exactly we will see one shouldered bridesmaids making an appearance.  I hope soon!  What a lovely change and how that would be the talk of the town (in a good way) after a wedding.  Listen up brides you could be the trend setters.  It would be one way to make a statement (the right way!!!!)

I'm in such a hurry I don't have any time to go thru their posts and find out more about them.  It was this blog post that did catch my eye and I found it hilarious.  In 2002 I had a mother of the groom that decided to wear a white dress.  I had to call her and tell her to get over herself.  It was a horrible horrible conversation.  I did not enjoy it.  The mother of the bride who was paying for 75 guests to attend from the grooms side at $350.00 a head was less than happy.  The bride was upset all day everyday.  The groom of course was clueless to why his mother shouldn't be wearing a strapless white dress to his wedding when his wife to be was wearing a strapless white dress herself.  It was insanity. 

I finally told the mother of the groom that if she wanted to wear that dress go right ahead.  But, be prepared for the other side of the church that was the brides friends, family and her mothers friends and family who were going to kill her with so much kindness over that dress that by the end of the ceremony she was going to wish she could skip that reception later.  I told her that I wish I had her nerve when she took that dance floor with her son for their mother son dance.  The eyes of 200 guests staring her down and whispering behind held hands was going to be amazing.  I told her the "Bless your heart" comments was going to be the only thing she heard on the video. 

She changed her mind after that call.  She went out and bought a dress in a lovely shade of pink and took her place where she should be.  She behaved.  It was a nice surprise to what was stressful for months leading up to the wedding day.

Needless to say I was not the most popular coordinator until after the wedding.  I was later thanked because the mother of the groom was asked to join a bridge club that she had wanted to be in for like twenty years.  She said rather sheepishly said I was right.  It was a good moment.  And I still get Christmas cards from her to this day and she asked me to plan her daughters wedding.  So I did something right!

This blog post isn't quite the same dramatic story.  But, it's pretty darn funny!  Enjoy!

http://soyouwanttobeabanquetmanager.blogspot.com/2009/08/gracious-mother-of-bride.html

 

I am pretty excited! 

I am redoing my site and my blog.  FINALLY!  I think I am being fast tracked to the front too with the web designers to get it done sooner than later.  So stay tuned.  I am finally going to leave Livejournal behind.  I have loved my time here.  But, it's never been super easy for me to use.  I've never had the look that I so wanted.

But, I have been blogging for over six years.  I started blogging when it was still very new.  Nobody was blogging in the wedding planning business.  It's crazy how much it's changed.  There wasn't a blogger or wordpress site back then to pick from.

I think my past blogs will be on my new blog.  We'll see.

I'm also excited because the website is going to be freshened up as well.  So fresh and so clean clean is my motto to live by right now!

So stay tuned.  There are some exciting new changes for RSVP Shindig.  But, I'm not going to talk about them until I can.  I am just feeling very luck and very thankful right now. 

There.  I said it.

I hate the skulls and the design work.  I don't like it.  It's MESSY looking.  It doesn't matter if it's a glass with the print on it or a pair of jeans.  It's just dirty looking in my opinion.   I'm sorry. 

If you have a tattoo that says "kill" or "death" or "til death do us part" that is one thing.  But, to wear a shirt or sunglasses like that I don't get.  It's like the easy way out for those that are too afraid of tattoos.  If you want to look like you have tattoos then just go get one.  Not that I am encouraging tattoos.  I'm just sayin.  Walk the walk and talk the talk people.

I have had to come out with this confession because over the weekend while shopping with my daughter at Nordstroms she stumbled into the shoe section.  She is in love with shoes.  It's pretty funny.

The sales girl brough over what I can only describe as a pink knock off version of Ed Hardy.  I didn't like them from the get go.  They were heavy looking.  Too much beading too.  I'm thinking just wait until she figures out how to pull those beads out and swallow them.  I said no.  I mean a big NO.  I also went into saying that they looked like Ed Hardy and they were going to look super dirty if she wore them outside.  She has these little Pumas now that are beat after a summer of dirt at the playground.  You can't really get kids shoes clean again.

Anyway, my child tried every single shoe on.  I'm not kidding.  Once I pointed her in the direction of her shoe size she was off like a race horse.  She grabbed every pair and wanted to put them on.  Some how this sales girl still smuggled the one shoe in that I said no to.

Well, it was a very proud moment when my child had that shoe on and repeatedly said "no no no no no"  She hated them.  I like to think she hated them because of their look.  I think it was because they were too heavy and uncomfortable.  But, I'd rather tell it like she knew it was a fashion disaster on her feet!

I think my biggest dislike of course for Ed Hardy comes from the pure fact that someone name Jon Gosselin wears it all the time.  Since he's turned into the loser dad of the year I think Ed Hardy is trying to run from him as fast as he can.  And is 22 year old girlfriend with the eyebrows that were drawn on.  Bless her heart.

I think the concept of Ed Hardy is great.  It is a unique line.  But, it's like that group of kids in high school that hung out together because they were all so different.  You know the ones.  At lunch they ate on the front lawn in a big circle in their black clothing and faces that showed disdain for others.  They were too cool for everyone else.  They were all different and they based their friendships on that.  But, in the end there were like twelve of them that were all different in the same way.  That to me is what Ed Hardy represents.  Being different in a mass production sort of way.

I have a child who is still into letting us dress her.  For now that means pink, hot pink, white, greens, blues, yellows, etc.,.  Monograms.  Fancy pants.  Silver bracelets engraved with her name.  Cute and prissy.  Now so far she is showing all signs for being prissy.  If you had seen her work that Nordstroms the other night you would know that I am proud and scared at the same time.  She kept the pace from kids, to dresses, to shoes, to handbags, upstairs to dresses for me, and back down to the salon shoes.  She was on it! 

I'm going to hold out as long as I can with clothes that make her look like a girl.  Especially since she is a girl.  I'm hoping I don't pay for it when she learns to dress herself.  I hope she never looks back at her albums of photos at this age and wants to know why she is in a dress and not a shirt that made her look like she had a tattoo on her stomach.  Because in the end as a mom aren't you trying to do the best you can?  Even in fashion?

Yesterday at a wonderful bridal shower for Sarah (our light of our life, our friend, a member of our family, aka one of two that takes care of Caroline) I was reminded that brides to be don't know the fundamental of planning sometimes.  The basic starting point for planning a wedding. 

Call a wedding planner!

L that hosted Sarah's shower had emailed me a month ago actually and she said yesterday that she wants to meet.  Which is fabulous and I look forward to it because I think (especially after seeing her very cute house) that she has great taste and is my kind of bride.  I didn't see fake flowers or clutter.  I didn't see a Lazy Boy recliner or a t.v. for that matter.  So I am excited.  I should say she didn't have a room that was decorated or based on a television.  It was more about books, art, pieces of furniture that were handed down in the family, photographs of loved ones.  Reminds me of someone I know.

I asked her if she had her date and if she had any vendors.  She has a date, venue, photographer.  I told her to STOP.  Don't go any further until she talks to a planner. 

She says she doesn't have a big budget.  

I again said STOP planning.  You always always always always save money by hiring a wedding planner.  Not only does a seasoned wedding planner or shall I say an experienced wedding planner that is good at their job save a couple money, they can lead them in the right direction based on their vision, their tastes, who they are as a couple.  

I know that I more than save a couple what my fee is everytime.  Wedding planners that know their area or have connections with vendors can give couples suggested vendors that match their taste, style, personalities and most importantly BUDGETS.

My fear always when I talk to a new couple is that they are going to continue to book vendors before I even have a chance to get their budget or to sit down with them for the first meeting. 

I've had a few clients in the past come to me with their vendors (meaning signed contracts, non refundable deposits) and then I have to work magic (or voodoo in some cases) to get the quality of work that the clients thought they were going to get when they signed the vendor on for their special day. 

Like I told L yesterday, even if it's not me then find someone that is a good wedding planner.  Find someone that is good at design and logistics and that gets the vision and understands budget. 

I know it's silly but it just drives me insane when people plan weddings and they don't get the service, quality and the day they wanted.  I know it happens a lot!  Why?  Because they don't have someone championing their cause.  Their cause being a perfect day.  Their champion being a coordinator/planner/event designer/wedding planner whatever you want to call them.

I think the one rule of wedding planning that everyone needs to remember is that you need to call a planner before you call anyone else. 

Don't plan a thing.  Get someone to help you.  You can afford a wedding planner.  You can't afford NOT to have a wedding planner.  Most planners are worth their weight in gold with the knowledge they have of your area. 

Remember when you were little and they would teach you how to cross the street?
STOP.
Look left.
Look right.
Look left again.

In wedding planning it should be:
Ring on.
She said yes.
Kiss.
STOP
Call a planner. 
Call family and friends next with the news.

And I guarantee if I tried I could get a thousand florist, wedding planners, caterers, bands, photographers by today to say they agree!

Happy Planning.  

Call a planner.

 

I love fall.  I don't always get to enjoy a long fall in Colorado when compared to the years spent in North Carolina.  But, I look forward to the cooler temps, leaves changing, and the activities and outings that come along with that time of year.

I guess everyone is starting to push their fall fashion wardrobe choices.  I've received Nordstroms, Neimans, Chasing Fireflies, Boden, and about ten other fall only fashion catalogs.  It's fun that we get catalogs for Caroline now too. 

The trends this year are kind of exciting.  I'm not sure all of them will do for me.  I'm not really an over the knee boot kind of girl.  I am a tall boot person.  I only have five pairs!  But, I believe in wearing boots to the knee.  Not above.  I'm not on stage if you know what I mean.

The things I want to buy for this season are below.  I love having an item to look for when I shop.  I'm not that big of a shopper these days.  But, when I go I like to have a mission.  I don't have time to just browse. 

1.  I want cute cute cute (CUTE) wellies. 

I should have gotten a good pair this spring because Lord knows I would have worn them all summer with all the rain.  I think Wellies look super cute when you wear them with a cute summer dress at a wedding.  Odd choice right?  If you attended a wedding this summer in Colorado with rain you know you would have been the smartest person for the outdoor ceremony or cocktail reception.  Otherwise paired with jeans, short skirts are just fine too.  I think they are great because they make a fashion statement about the person wearing them.  With all the colors and choices they tell a lot about the person wearing them.

2.  Coat
I don't need a new coat.  I love coats.  I have over thirty.  Black, camel. white, brown, blue, etc,.  I still wear a short London Fog in black ten years later.  It's a classic coat and I will never get rid of it.  I also have an old Chanel coat that was a hand me down.  It's worn.  But, oh how I love it.  Especially since I didn't pay a dime for it.   Some oft the cuts this season are not flattering.  But, the swing coat, trench, and toggles are back and classics to me.  I think I really need a camel trench coat this season.  The metallic coats are not my deal at all.  So I will skip those.  I think coats are so pricey to begin with.  So I prefer buying something that will last ten to twenty years for me.  So I will stick to the basics.  But, I am tempted with a pink coat that I saw from Marc Jacobs.  If I am still thinking about it a month from now.......I may break down.

3.  Sweaters
I love that cozy knits are in this year.  It was the one thing I hated giving up about pregnancy.  I had some awesome sweaters from Pea in a Pod.  I hated to put them away.  But, luckily this season it seems that there will be plenty of sweaters for me to choose from.  For me the key will be only buying a few.  There seems to be a ton of black and gray to pick from this year.  Normally I am not a gray person.  But, this year it looks good to me.  Since jewelry is super chunky as well I think it's a good background for bigger pieces.  That's just me. 

4.  Good Moisturizer and a new lipstick color for me
I am in love with Laura Mercier products right now.  I find her products reasonable.  I have tried products that are more expensive and products that are way cheap.  I find certain products worth a little more than others.  For instance I will probably never leave Lancome again for another mascara.  I love theirs.  I've tried a dozen others and it's not worked out.  I am using LM moisturizer currently.  But, I would like to find one that can battle the winter.  I don't know if the one I use for summer can go into our harsh winters.  And for lipstick I just want to get out of my comfort zone.  It's my goal.  A shallow one.  But, one that I would like to make happen none the less.

5.  Necklace
I want to find one necklace that is bigger and makes a statement that looks fine on me.  And does not pull my hair out.  There was this amazing necklace I found earlier this year.  But, the thing kept yanking hair out.  It hurt!  I know fashion isn't always comfortable.  But, good grief I don't want to go bald from it either.

I am excited to just welcome a new season.  I am excited to see black skirts, with black tights and black shoes topped off with a colorful top.  It's from the 90s and I loved it when it was in then.  

I am so glad that grunge is still behind us.  Women are still dressing like women.  I don't think we have to worry about over alls this year.  I haven't seen any in the stores and I asked my connection in NY and Atlanta at market what they were shopping for at market in the spring for this fall.  It sounds good.   I'm crossing my fingers.

Big shoulder pads are slowly creeping in again.  UGH.  And the leather jackets, and studded pieces of accessories along with the gladiator shoes that are still hanging on worry me.  Instead of gladiator sandals there seems to be gladiator open toed or short heeled boots.  Not my thing. 


So what if they are from Prada..........I'm not wearing them. 

You know years ago I took fashion merchandising classes.  In my classes I thought I would be designing and on the cusp of what was about to be in fashion.  No actually I thought I would be MAKING fashion HAPPEN.  Instead I had to learn the history of fashion.  Trends vs. Classics.  Why, who, what made things popular.  What the decades brought (good and bad.)  Most importantly I learned it's a circle.  What goes around in fashion comes back around.  Love it or hate it.  It's the way the fashion wheel turns.

I would get so aggravated and frustrated that I was having to learn the fundamentals of fashion or who the consumers are.  It was so dull and it wasn't what I pictured.  But, I have to admit I did learn a lot.  Not to say I know anything about fashion more than someone else because obviously I didn't go into that field.  But, I am glad that I learned a little history and maybe that is why I am not pulling my hair out completely seeing neons on the rack or some of the heinous 80's fashions walking around.  I am taking the good and liking that Jackie O fashion is still around!  And available on the rack. 

Happy Shopping!

 

Since the beginning of time I think it's been the obvious goal of every bride to look her best on her wedding day.  These are going to be photos that are around for a very long time.  

The issue at times is that some brides can take it too far.  I have had brides that lost so much weight that by their wedding days their dresses can barely stay on.  I've also had brides that barely fit into their dresses.  Well, only 2 to date thank goodness. 

Some brides lose weight with stress.  Some brides gain weight with stress.  I was in the first category myself.  By my wedding day I had lost six or seven pounds in a week.  Not because I tried either.  I just didn't want to eat or have a stomach for it.  I forgot more than anything.  We had so many people around us and we had a week prior to our wedding with my family.  I barely even finished a glass of wine most nights.  I guess that helped looking back. 

But, if you are in the category that you can gain when stressed, then you better have a wedding planner!  It's worth every penny to have someone else handle the details so you can focus on the joy of getting married and not the bad eating habits that can come from the stress.

I tell brides that they just need to have a realistic goal on their wedding day.  Be your healthiest.  That was my goal.  I wanted to look like me with good hair and make-up that day.  

I have had brides that crash diet.  One bride lost so much weight that her dress had to be altered three times.  By the wedding week it was too short.  She had to go and buy a new dress off the rack and we had to get it altered around the clock so that it was ready in time.  It cost her a fortune.  She said it was worth it.  I just wish she had held off on alterations when she knew she was going to make it a goal to lose twenty plus pounds three months prior to her wedding.  By the way she ended up losing over fifty! 

A few years ago one of the brides would not go to a cake tasting with her fiance because she couldn't have cake per her personal trainer.  I was furious.  Not with her.  With the trainer.  I thought it was a bit over the top.  An afternoon of cake tasting with the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with with a baker that everyone loved (for good reason) was not going to make that much of a difference!  Give me a break.  In the end the bride did go and taste cake and pick out a special touch to their day together.  By the way they had met while both working in a bakery so it was not just a wedding cake in their case.  It was how their story began.

I was at a bridal shop last week when I heard a bride who was not my client tell her friends that she was going to buy her dress in a smaller size because it would force her to lose ten pounds.  The part she didn't understand is that nobody is doing to see the size tag in the wedding dress.  What matters is who is the seamstress and what their skill is.

You shouldn't worry about the size of a dress.  You always have to alter.  You don't want to take a chance that you have to put the pressure on yourself to lose weight for a dress.  It's supposed to be a time when planning your wedding that you are enjoying yourself.  Having to crash diet or give up cake, carbs and alcohol to fit into a dress for all of six hours is not worth it! 

Your the bride.  You are going to be beautiful.  Be happy and be you!  That is what everyone remembers from your wedding day.  I promise.



 

And I don't think I have had a minute to stop since getting off the plane last night. 

First of all my flight was canceled.  I was (typical me) was in my own little world of trying to check in and getting upstairs and through security for the 4:48 flight.  By the way it was 4:15 at this time.  I love that airport because it's not far from town and you really can show up just before your flight.

I noticed people were in a mood when I got there.  Thought nothing of it.  I was checking in and it said my flight was canceled and they would let me get on the early morning one instead.  Great!  Especially since I had given my rental car back and didn't feel like having to get another hotel room. 

Thank goodness for the travel agent.  I called her and she had me on the 7 p.m. flight last night and I was able to skip over a line and check in within minutes.  I know in this day and age we all do our own travel plans because it's much cheaper.  But, having a travel agent PAYS for itself.  I remember my parents used Mrs.  Overton in Rocky Mount for years.  She did all our trips for us.  This was before the internet of course. 

I was probably the only one that didnt have to stay one more night from that booked flight last night.  It was great!!!!

Today I had a million things to do in getting ready for The Knot Industry party next Wednesday.  I am really excited about my swag bags.  I have like ten things for them.  I was adding up what the bag was worth in goodies and it's close to $100 for each vendor.  So I hope everyone loves them.  I've definitely enjoyed getting the shipments of goodies and seeing how they will fit in the Knot bag. 

I also have some great give aways for the guests.  Golf for four at Arrowhead.  A night stay at the Brown Palace, Garden of the Gods, Magnolia.........that's just a few.  I started out with nothing and we have had so many people be so generous when we call.  I love it!

I am looking forward to this time next week.  The party will be over and I can get to work on my next big event.  I am loving that color scheme too.  Orange and silver!  FUN!!!!

I love a summer party.  We have a traditional home that has the kitchen in the back of the house which doesn't open up to a den or living room.  So in the summer our main living area is our deck right off the kitchen.  I love being out there even more now since we painted our house and the landscaping looks some what good.  We have been working on this house forever and for a very long time we had a pile of debris in our backyard and we didn't have a deck just a few concrete steps.  It was less than pretty.  Not a party goes by that one or two friends don't bring up "remember when" fill in the blank.  Remember when you had that room on the back of the house?  Remember when you had dirt?  Remember when there was a van with a homeless person in your backyard?  If only that last question wasn't true!

We are about to entertain again next weekend.  I am not certain of the menu.  But, since it's so hot I know what I don't want to do.  I keep thinking for some reason about a party I planned a few years ago that was designed around a very old style rustic Italian menu.

The clients had a beautiful backyard where everything was sogreen and there were two huge trees in the backyard with shade.  For tables I found three old wooden tables.  Rentals were not going to work.  The clients wanted to be in a setting that looked like everything had come from the attic.

They had old pots in their garden shed that we used for arrangements of flowers with herbs mixed in.  There is this trailing rosemary that you can find at your local nursery that makes for the perfect texture in a floral arrangement.

We found old wooden chairs all over town.  I gave the hostess a job.  She needed something to do so that was what she did.  Each time she drove by a yard sale she would buy an old wooden chair.  None of them matched, but she bought most of them for less than 5.00 dollars.  It costs 3.50 plus tax and delivery for a folding chair.  So it was a deal.  She ended up storing them afterwards in her barn (lucky girl to have a place for them) and has since used them again and again for other parties I've been told.  Because they were old she hasn't worried about how they are stacked.  It's worked in her favor.  The more beaten up the better sometimes!

She also had five sets of silver!  So that helped too.  She had inherited silver from both sides of the family due to their not being any other daughters.  She had actually stored them in mason jars!  So they were a bit beaten up as well.  And that worked too! 

And those mason jars became the dessert dishes that night. 

While planning for our upcoming party I am trying to make sure I use everything we have.  The rustic Italian party was definitely a green wedding in the way that we used everything she had.  We only had to get a few new things.  I am trying desperately to stick to the plan of using what is old and buying nothing new.  We'll see how it goes!  I am pretty certain I can do it.  Crossed fingers!



 

Two weeks later they are down to a response card or two in the mail each day.  Then a week after that they don't have any!  Now the panic starts to settle in.  Suddenly........ten arrive in the mail!  They think they are back on track.  They look at their spreadsheet and see they only need about twenty more responses.  Surely they will arrive in time.

Then the date for all responses (where each couple had printed "kindly respond on or before said date") is three days past.  They now have a few dozen responses they are not sure about.  They need to get the final number into the caterer and they want to do their table assignments sooner than later.  There is a deadline to the calligrapher who is going to do the seating chart that will be framed.  Time is ticking!

Now they have to start phoning and emailing asking if the guest is going to make it to their big day or not.  If so are they bringing someone?  Are they having chicken or fish?  The responses they are looking for are usually from those odd friends of the groom (insert the fight where the bride to be reminds the groom she never wanted to invite them in the first place and she just knows they are going to pull some stunt and drink all the liquor at the open bar!!!) the weird uncle on the side of the family that nobody wants to call (secretly they are all hoping he can't come and fear if they do call he will come) there is the brides friend that is the flake that isn't dealing well with being single and possibly not being the center of attention so she is drumming up what attention she can get by making her friend the bride beg her for a response.  Or the worst is when you have to call people that neither of you knew because they are co-workers or friends of the parents and the parents don't want to make the phone calls!  That would seem rude. 

And if you have planned a wedding you know that everything I just said is not off base.  One part of the above paragraph you can identify with. 

Sadly if you like to entertain then this is a pattern in life that you are setting yourself up for.  It doesn't matter if you are sending out evites, engraved invitations, or even notes attached that say I need your response........my life depends on it!  You will forever play the waiting game when it comes to rsvps. 

What is worse is that you are not supposed to talk about this if you are hosting the party.  EVER.  For some reason it makes you seem like an ungracious hostess.  All you are doing as a hostess is trying to figure out if you need one bottle of red wine or ten.  Maybe you need an extra server.  Maybe you need more chairs or tables. 

I don't think people mean to disregard the invite.  Instead I don't think people always know what goes into planning a party.  Not everyone takes the time to entertain in their homes.  And when they do a lot of times it is a potluck type party or a barbecue.  It does take planning for all parties.  In some cases though you just want to make sure that you have it all done in plenty of time and that you aren't stressing out at the last minute.  I hate that feeling more than anything.  I haven't had it in years because I have become the pro at planning a party months in advanced and then being able to forget about it until the last few days because that is when I finally know the head count.

When we get invites in the mail I always try to respond that day.  It's my fear that we will forget to respond.   I am not even going to pretend.  In my younger years I definitely forgot to respond a few times.  I still apologize to this day to one of my friends over this.  I was 22.  She was 22.  She was getting married and for the record it didn't last.  We knew it wouldn't.  She still gets mad that we didn't have an intervention.  But, what could you do.  Instead it turns out that if you weren't in her wedding you didn't repsond and perhaps a good number of us kind of had a rough night the night before because of a party.  Or maybe something like that.  I am pretty sure I myself was at bible study that night and just over slept the next day.  I did make it to the reception that not only didn't have an open bar..........it didn't even have a bar and to top it off she had mints and peanuts. That would have been good and fine in most cases.  But in this case the reception didn't fit the crime.  I mean the people getting married.  And it was right after that I started planning weddings.  Well, by planning I mean started telling people what they were doing wrong for free.  Giving my opinion when it wasn't asked for.  It was a few years after THAT when I started charging for my opinions (I still liked to give my opinion when it wasn't asked for and still do.)  It was amazing how many of my clients those first few weddings paid me to tell them what should have been obvious.  I like to think that due to me I put an end to the church basement reception with green punch, cheese straws and butter mints.   I mean have mercy people.  My motto was if you could register for twelve five piece place settings of Francis I and ask for a twelve five piece place settings of Christmas china, everyday china and formal china.........well you could get it together and plan a reception at the local country club with beer and wine and not a single bowl of peanuts in sight.  Again I am still amazed that I wasn't run right out of Wake county, North Carolina. 

Basically I think that we will forever battle the quest for receiving rsvps for our parties.  Will we ever live in a day (ever again post Emily Post) where we get all of our responses on the date we asked for a response?  Say that three times fast.  No, I don't think we will.  Instead I think we just have to be prepared and relax.  It does all work out.  The key to a great wedding and a successful party is when the hostess is relaxed and enjoying herself.  But, wouldn't it be so much fun to see people come to your party and see their faces when they walked in and instead of two dozen wine glasses glistening on the bar there were only six.  As hostess you announce "you should have responded.  I could have had a glass for you!  Oh well......guess you will have to drink straight from the bottle."  CHEERS!  Literally!



 

I was given the honor this year of planning Theknot.com industry party for Colorado. 
It's been really interesting thus far.  First of all they have their national event coordinator.  She has done this party so many times and does one every other day for six months probably.

It's been fabulous getting to work with the vendors I love best.  I hate to say that.  But, it's true.  It's like planning an event for a client or for myself so far.  Only this time there are swag bags.  So far I am loving that. 

I am really looking forward to the party. Of course I will have just flown home the day before the party.   I have a site visit for a destination wedding.  Then the week prior to that I will be out of town as well doing a three day meeting for my BIG BIG BIG BIG event in October.  Did I mention BIG?  It's a total surprise too so it's hard to chat about. 

I can't wait to be able to talk about it as soon as it's over.  We have a special guest flying in to perform.  Even the stamps on all the save the dates have been hush hush.  Which honestly has just added to the build up.

AND with that I have to stop blogging.  I have to check in with my invitation designer to see where we are today with the invitations for this.  They are being custom made.  They are fabulous.  

One day I will have time again to blog!  I hope!  But, it's fun in the mean time to be busy with so many weddings and events.  

Today I was looking for instructions on how to do something with plywood (don't ask) and ended up coming across a link to a very popular site that had another tab showing weddings. 

I click on this tiny photo because it looked really pretty.  It was of course gorgeous.  Not just pretty.  It then had a video on how to achieve this look.  Yeah the video didn't show any of the really hard steps in accomplishing the wedding decor.

I thought in the instructions that it was odd that it gave this small amount of let's say tulle.  It said 5 yards of tulle.  Now I am not a huge fan of tulle.  But, I knew good and well that there was no way five yards was cutting it.

I see below the video tab and the instructions there are comments posted.  The first post was my absolute favorite.  The poster TinaG81 says "I did this myself.  It took hours.  And when I was finished it took 29 yards of tulle.  My area was much smaller too!  I followed the instructions and it ended up costing me five times more than I planned.  I should have just hired someone to do it for me."

Ta da!  Thank you very much Tina.  You just said what I knew all along (or rather typed.)

This is my peeve.  Sometimes we see a wedding show.  We watch two minutes of the segment of a decor idea on a wedding show.  Typically it takes hours to set up a room that is detailed and blinged out.  

For instance just for a table: You have to make sure the table is in the correct spot.  Then the tablecloth goes down (which usually has to be steamed one it's on or ironed before hand.  Ever ironed a 132' inch round linen?  Oh the joy you will experience. NOT!)  Maybe there is an overlay.  Gotta make sure all the linens are on straight.  If you are a perfectionist like me, then you can spend ten minutes alone on this making sure it's even steven.  Ten minutes times ten tables.....you do the math.  Plus, that's what I'm paid for and what a bride is depending on me for. 

If you are fortunate (as a wedding coordinator) the florist can now set the flowers on the table.  Usually though the room is being set up before the florist can drop them due to how tempermental flowers can be.  You don't want to pay 150.00 and up for a centerpiece only to have them wilted by dinner time.  So usually the table has to be set leaving room.  Sometimes we have to measure the tables and mark with tape so the staff service staff doesn't put a glass in the area where decor will go.  So this takes time.  It's a measure once.  Tape in a circle twice to five times type of thing.

Next are chargers.  Plates.  Glassware.  Forks, spoons, knives, butter knives, salt and pepper, butter and bread plates, bread basket.  Candles.  The table number which is usually in a frame.  OH and we must find a spot for the card that tells the staff later what the guest is eating.  There is a lot going on.

It takes a bit of time.  And work. 

Sometimes I wish shows would put in a disclaimer that says "Yes you can do this.  But, get ready to work.  It's going to take ten times longer because unlike us you don't have a staff.  We have five people just to iron, sew and paint.  So good luck.  Let us know if you still like us after you are finished."

I think like everything in life you need to pick and choose your battles  Sometimes picking a vendor to deal with achieving the look is best.  Unless you really are that good with a staple gun, hot glue gun, saw, drill, etc.,.  while being able to get your hair and make-up done and relax and enjoy your friends and family prior to the wedding ceremony.  If you can do this.  Could you please call me.  I'd like to hire you.

I have this public access station where I swear they are trying to sell us on her old videos.  But, they are not advertising them.

They are showing her making all kinds of crazy desserts.  Apple Charlotte.  Baked Alaska.  Crepes Suzette.

I am familiar with all of them.  Only I know I haven't made any of them in years.  The last time I made something even close to baked alaska was for my father in laws birthday in 2002.  It was made with raspberry and a poppyseed cake instead of chocolate.

In her parting words she said "the next time you are looking for an elegant dessert for your dinner party"  and viola!  I am so making crepes suzette for a dinner party soon.

But, just think.  If you are getting married......how fun to have a crepe station going.  I don't know anyone that doesn't love a crepe.  What's not to love.  Little egg, butter and sugar.  Fill it with anything.  It's yummy!  You could have an entire action dessert station.  It doesn't have to be just crepes.  You could do donuts.  Ice cream like Coldstone.  Even cotton candy.  I promise it will be a hit!  Skip the chocolate fountain.  Have someone making sweets on demand!

 

Or remarried.

Let's face it, the book has had too much influence on my business.  So maybe they should bring back their show and make my life go in reverse where I can recreate their wedding again.  It's not like I haven't had to do it already.  

So she got dropped (allegedly) before her birthday.  It seems that Tony Ro didn't want to attend Jessica's theme party.  That was the first mistake.  She did a theme birthday for herself.  So many etiquette issues to talk about......just not enough time.  The theme was to be Barbie and Ken.  Can you imagine Jessica saying to Tony Ro that she was throwing herself a birthday party and that he was invited and he needed to dress like Ken since she would be dressed as Barbie.  Oh to be a fly on the wall for that one!

So now that Jessica is single again and now that Nick is single again (he and Vanessa broke ties a few weeks ago.  Bless her heart, after all those seedy photos of her and Nick appeared on the web from their Mexico vacation.  Don't remember?  All I will say is hot tub.  Her Daddy saw those photos too I bet.)  Jessica and Nick should at least have dinner together a few times. 

I know they will not get back together.  But, I would kind of like to see what a 'remarriage' ceremony could look like........their wedding really did bring a lot of trends that we are still seeing today.  It's been over six years and she still has an influence on at least one tiny aspect of each wedding today nine times out of ten.

Here are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head (without going and getting that book!)
1.  The hair.  I forget who just got married in the last two weeks, but their hairdresser actually said that Jessica's hair was the inspiration for her wedding day.   Jessica was one of the first brides in years that didn't do the typical 'up do.'  The long wavy hair was a show stopper and beautiful.  I think that is why so many brides loved it for themselves.



2.  Jeweled barrettes.
Even when brides have not worn their hair down, they still have tried to incorporate a barrette that was along the lines of Jessica's.  If someone had gone to work manufacturing barrettes identical to what Jessica wore, they would have made millions.  I'm not kidding!  Do you know how many brides that were clients looked for them?  Not to mention people that were not even my clients that would contact me because they googled her name and found my blog.  It was crazy.  I don't think anyone is searching for the exact ones as much these days.  But, I do believe after seeing the barrette display at Nordstroms that they are still in demand in general.

3.  The embroidered jogging suit jacket/hoodie
In her book there was a photo that showed the back of the hoodie that she was wearing while getting hair and make up done the day of the wedding.  It was embroidered with the words "Future Mrs. Lachey"  or something like that.  Oh the frenzy that created.   Every bride had to have one.  Including me.  Only I couldn't afford the whole name being done (darn Colorado monogram shops.  They charge by the letter!)  Plus, I didn't want to be exactly like Jessica.  I had Bride to Be on my jacket.   To this day brides do hoodies with something printed, painted, silk screened on the back of them just for the wedding day.

4.  Rose petal carpet
No they were not the first to do it.  But, rose petals became more popular after their wedding.  In fact the wholesaler that I used prior to their wedding for loose flowers said that their loose petal orders went up 325% the year after their wedding. 


5.  Red Velvet Cake
In the South red velvet cake is tradition around the holidays.  I'll personally eat it all year round.  Jessica picked red velvet for the entire wedding cake.  That is a true Southern belle choice.  For a while red velvet was one of the layers for the cake choices of brides.  I haven't seen it as much in Colorado.  But, I have seen Southern brides picking it for their weddings lately.  As a wedding planer I feel like a lot of brides always wanted that as a cake flavor, but didn't think most of the guests would like it.  So they went with the safe bets.  I think Jessica Simpson's wedding cake gave more brides confidence in choosing it. 

Those are just a few...........
If I had more time right now I'd cover diamond wedding bands, borrowed jewelry, centerpieces, hanging votives, and table decor! 

 

Okay so Larry David describes it a bit more colorfully than I would.  But, it's so true!  My friend Kelly 
weddingsbysocialites.blogspot.com/  is hilarious about chicken on a stick.  To quote her:   "it's meat.  On a stick.  At a reception.  Really?"  

I have always agreed and thought the same thing.  Here you are dressed up an event holding your wine glass and a tray comes by with the meat on a stick.  Sometimes there is a dipping sauce.  Now you are holding under one arm your evening bag.  Then in one hand your cocktail.  Now you are dipping meat on a stick (that could easily be used as a weapon) with dripping sauce.  Plus a napkin.  It's a balancing act and it's just not the look you were going for at the event.  No way did you pick a cute cocktail dress with thoughts of an accessory being a wooden stick with grilled meat on it.

 There are so many great cocktail food options when you are planning for your wedding or event.  For one destination wedding in Wyoming the bride picked a stuffed mushroom that was made with game.  It was very fitting for the area.  I was not sure if her guests would love it considering they were all from Florida and were going to be more use to seafood.  I like to change it up and give guests something they wouldn't get at home.  But, sometimes game like elk, rabbit, and even rattle snake can be very iffy for a guest to eat.

The mushrooms were a hit.  The father of the bride requested it for his next daughters wedding in fact.  

I love a one bite choice too.  I attended a wedding where they had sushi as a passed appetizer.  It was such a big roll that it required you to either choke to death or eat in three bites.  Sushi is not an easy appetizer to eat in a few bites.  Rice is falling every where.  Again dipping in soy.  Just a mess! 

When you go for a tasting think one bite.  A lot of times you are given appetizers to try at your tasting while seated at a table with a napkin in your lap.  You have a plate and silverware.  You are not holding onto a glass of champagne or wine. 

I always have my clients taste test and keep in mind their guests will be standing and there may not be room for them at a high boy cocktail table. 

You can definitely plan a cocktail hour that will keep people from being famished while helping to keep the party mood in full swing.  Cocktail hour should not be a time for people to find space to sit and use a fork and knife to cut thru their mini lamb chop.  It needs to be about mingling and maybe taking in the sunset on the patio over looking the mountains.  Maybe you choose an old house to hold your reception with beautiful gardens.  Encourage guests to stroll thru them.  Hopefully you have a wedding planner that is thinking of these things for you if you are not.  But, either way just try to avoid the meat on the stick.  That right there will give you a successful cocktail hour! 

Look.  I plan for a living.  I like things that are pretty.  I don't typically like funeral flowers because everyone orders what they like and usually it doesn't match.  It's the thought that counts.  So I'm not going to put that down.  It's something we all should send when a loved one has passed. 

But, this funeral for MJ is not normal.  I mean they have elephants coming into the Staple center.  There are sixteen thousand people attending.  It is a circus.  No pun intended.

Couldn't they have asked Preston Bailey or Paige Davis even Colin Cowie to take over in the decor department?  How about just a huge float  to look like the Rose Bowl parade.  Whitney Houston is coming out to sing and there are carnations up here with a bow with glitter lettering.  Okay maybe that is fitting for her.  She was married to Bobby Brown. 

The arrangement on the casket is beautiful.  I like that a lot.  I just don't like the huge sprays that are against the stage. 

And now even worse there are people yelling in the center.  Fans.  It's really disgusting.  You don't scream people when the pastor gets on stage. It may be the Staple center.  But, it's not the time or the place.  AND how much do you want to bet there are people in jeans!  And t-shirts.  I have to get back to work.  The disrespect in dress and manners is going to send me over the edge.

 

Oh my my.  It's the best.  It's on the Soap channel which I have never really watched unless there was a Dallas episode on.  I just happened to stumble upon this show over the weekend and I loved it.

Five belles.  All which I can identify with in one way or the other.  I don't think you can really get into this show unless you are from the South.  You understand the traditions.  The standard of morals and values you are held to even when everyone else is breaking them around you.  Not to mention being able to grasp the pressures of growing up in a small town where everyone knows you, your mama and daddy and don't mind telling them what you are up to.  Actually are looking for something to report back to your mama and daddy about.

If you get the show with your cable package definitely watch!  It's a hoot!  Plus, if you are like me you will just be happy to hear the drawl and listen to a bunch of girls find a way to make something into drama.   For instance my favorite was when Kellie who apparently had a huge eating disorder and a drug addiction took the time to invite her mother over for take out.  She took her moment to play with her food and say there had been things that went on.  Terrible things.  Things you didn't know mama.  I was a coke addict.  Only when her mother cried and said she was sorry for not knowing did Kellie seem on the road to recovery.  It makes you wonder why she felt the need to share.  I guess she had to make sure her mother felt the pain in order to feel better. 

Shea went shopping for a diamond with her beau and since I am in the wedding business I'd like to say the line from the store sales girl made me choke.  "The normal amount to spend on a ring is 250 to 450.  And I don't mean hundred."  Ummmmm really?  Really?  Give me a break.  You can buy a nice diamond and a big one for less than a hundred thousand, fifty thousand, and even twenty thousand. 

Which reminds me..........a friend today said that she had a client come in who was a wife  of player for a team here in Denver.  I know the team.  Not the player or wife.  Apparently the ring was gigantic.  My friend said she grabbed her hand and without a second thought said "Is this real?"  The wife said but of course.  And there were high fives given out I imagine.  My friend and the wife chatted about rings and the best line of the day was "Anyone that says they don't like a big diamond never had one."  I loved it!!!!  It's kind of true b/c in all honesty nobody ever turns a big ole diamond down.  

Back to Shea.  She did get a big ring.  Nobody knows how much it was., which I don't think they should.  That's tacky.  It's like asking someone how many carats their ring is.  The voice over on the show says.....something like anyone that knows Shea knows that he will pay for it for the rest of his life.  YIKES.  I must say in watching the show I have to wonder if they will even make it to the alter.  If they do I hope she realizes she is marrying a man that is her daddy.  She doesn't see it.  But I think the viewers do and just about any wedding planner can tell.  I've said it before I can predict a marriage within a month of how long it will last.  Someone once asked me if I thought their marriage was going to work.  I couldn't bring myself to say no.  I knew it wasn't.  I thought it would last at least two or three years.  They didn't even make it a year.  It was sad.  But, their wedding was fun. 

There is Hadley who is a hoot and I think of all the girls I like her the best.  I love that name too!

Emily is the one that is trying to find her way.  She is trying to break from her roots and it's painful to watch.  I don't think she sees how pretty she is b/c she should stop with all the make-up and bleached hair.  The clothes are kind of too much too.

Julie is the 35 single gal model.  She is beautiful!  I don't think she is friends with everyone because she seems really disconnected.  But, I guarantee she gets something fabulous in acting or modeling after this show.  I think out of all the girls she is the most normal.  I like her a lot!

This show is just a hoot.  Again maybe you need to be from the South.  Maybe not.  But, either way try to watch...........it's fabulous.

I always try to get my clients to keep the wedding dress as a surprise not only for the groom, but also for the bridal party and the guests.  It's more fun to see the reactions of the bridal party the minute the bride walks out in the suite (or whatever room they are getting dressed in) the day of the wedding.  The veil is on.  The make-up and hair is complete.  Sometimes all that is left to do is to put a necklace on or a pair of earrings.  The whole vision is together and ready for preceremony photos!  The oohs and aahs are so loud in the suite sometimes that you don't know who is saying what it's such a frenzy of excitement. 

I've been present when the bride didn't keep it a secret and took everyone and her neighbors to dress fittings with her.  While I'm not saying it is not as exciting when she is dressed the wedding day.  It's just a different feel in the room.  I'd say it reminds me of a "been there seen that will the bar be open prior to the wedding?"  There are oohs and aahs.  But, they are not the same.  And typically if the bride has let everyone know what the wedding dress looks like then it's pretty much a given she has told every other detail of the day as well. 

I can't preach it enough.  Keep your wedding day plans a secret.  Keep everything private.  Let it be a surprise.  From the dress to the place settings.  From the band to the cake flavors.  A wedding should be a present not only for you on your wedding day but for your guests.  It should be like unwrapping a stack of gift boxes on Christmas.  Each one has a surprise in it. 

I know the bride that I chatted with this morning is going to be a show stopper in her dress at her wedding.  I told her to keep the dress top secret.  If anyone asks for a link to it then say it's not on line.  If they ask for a digital photo.  She didn't take one.  And honestly I don't think anyone should ever take a pix of themselves in their wedding dress prior to the wedding day.  Too risky that it will be seen by the groom.  If anyone asks for a description then say it's long, white and kind of fluffy.  Aren't they all kind of like that in some way?

 

So I am only really three days into vacation.  I am glad we started on a Friday with travel.  We had the whole entire weekend to relax with my family.  Now it's Monday and a work week.  While I am on vacation and taking a break, I am still in the creative mode so to speak. 

I have found an amazing idea for  golf tournament centerpiece.  Or for that matter I think I can actually reuse it for a morning after brunch at the country club.

I am feeling at ease with a new color palette of greens and blues.  Obviously that is the ocean talking to me.  Just say no to hot pink and green girls.  I beg you. 

We had just a lovely weekend with my brother and sister in law while they were here.  Unfortunately they had to leave today.  It made me sad because my sister in law loves Caroline and it's obvious the feeling is mutual.  It makes me sad that Caroline doesn't have that at all back home.  But, one day when Caroline voices how we cheated her of seeing them more often, I am going to direct her to her father.  So yes we are at that point in our trip where my husband and I will be having the coming to Jesus on where our lives are going.  Funny thing though.  He brought up buying houses here...........so I am going to pray to the baby Jesus that this is our new direction.  At least give me a vacation house.  That is all I need.

It's been fun to see Caroline play with my parents on the beach.  My dad painted with her and if she gets any artistic ability that is where she will inherit it.  My brother and I are atistic.  We got that gene straight from him.  I think I am more like my father's father though since he made furniture by hand.  Not that I widdle things from wood.  But, he knew how to put design with fabrics.  hello!  You know how I like fabric.

I am loving waking up in the morning and having to remember where I am and what day it is.  I like that a lot!

I also think that any day that requires a beer at lunch and then a mojito starting no later than 3:30 is really the way we should work!  Just kidding! 

I am getting anxious to go into Charleston in the next few days and shop for work.  I have so many things to pick up and find for my clients. 
I'm also going by to see a my favorite antique store.  He is tucked into a corner shop and I think that he may have something that I have been looking for for many years.  The silver punch bowl.  It's a certaiin design.  He emailed a few months ago to let me know.  I am praying it's what I've been looking for.  Because I know exactly what I am going to use it for when it comes to clients weddings.  I'm very excited!
 

If you are shopping for a dress then make note immediately! 

Special Events
Little White Dress Bridal Shop
303.814.8972   www.LWDBridal.com

After Hours Private Dress Up Parties!  Weekday evenings 6:30-8:30
and Sunday mornings 10:00-noon
Bring up to six guests and have Little White Dress Bridal Shop all to yourselves to find your perfect wedding dress, spectacular accessories and/or bridesmaid dresses!  Enjoy music, food and refreshments, tons of personal attention and fun!  Fabulous menu options available.  $15 -17/person.  Please call 303-814-8972 to schedule your party today!

Veil Sale! 
 Ivory or white Veils in a variety of lengths and trims are priced at only $25, $50 or $100!  While supplies last.

June 18, 19, 20, 21, 2009 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Claire Pettibone comes to Colorado!!  Meet this spectacular lingerie and bridal designer and join Little White Dress Bridal Shop and Pampered Passions Fine Lingerie  Thursday evening June 18th with a fashion show and cocktail party at the Lumber Baron Inn & Gardens in the Highlands neighborhood in Denver.  All Claire Pettibone bridal gowns and lingerie will be at Little White Dress Bridal Shop on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the opportunity to meet with Claire one-on-one.  Call Little White Dress today to reserve a seat at the fashion show and/or make a trunk show appointment! show! Purchase your ticket now!

I just got home last night after a few days in Florida.  It was wonderful.  Much needed and I found a fabulous new resort to suggest for more than one reason.  Plus, the big bonus I got to spend time with my BFF in Wedding Planning.  Oh and I got a tan and I was able to relax a little. 

Kelly and I were talking about cotillion classes while I was there.  She said that didn't know of any in her area.  Of course I suggested she look to see if Jon Williams Cotillion www.cotillion.com/index.shtml had any in the area.  Prior to that she said it's a Southern thing.   I agree.  Because you only hear of them in the South usually.  HOWEVER Jon Williams is located in Denver and they travel everywhere to teach.  There is a huge class each year down in Colorado Springs at the Air Force Academy.  They have a huge class or five for young children around Devnver each year.  It's really not just a Southern thing.  But, Southerners are typically sterotyped as the only ones that care about manners.  (Thank you on behalf of all of them!  That is an ultimate compliment in my opinion!)

What I loved about the chat Kelly and I had was that she didn't once put down cotillion.  Why?  Because she and I work in the same business and we know that cotillion is not just about teaching stuffy manners that went out with pantyhose and slips.  But, it's about giving a child the chance to learn social graces that will take them further than a ballroom one day.  They learn to shake hands and remember the persons name they are being introduced to.  They understand the importance of looking someone in the eye when they meet them.  They learn to dance.  They learn respect.  Not just for others but most importantly for themselves.  Being considerate towards others is not a crime.  And to me it's kind of funny to hear when people make fun of etiquette.  Because usually the person putting it down doesn't have a clue what they are talking about.  It's not about walking thru life with an engraved calling card to leave in someones front hall when the butler answers the door.  Oh if only it was.  KIDDING! 

The reason for me to be bringing this up today?  Because while traveling over the last few days I decided that perhaps having a future son was not something I wanted.  I need to probably break this to my husband.  And I am honestly only half kidding about this.  On my flight out of Colorado two teen boys were seated next to me.  They were slouching in their seats.  Grumbled and looked for the most part just miserable.  The boy seated next to me looked dirty.  He was in runing pants and looked like he had not showered in days.  From what I have heard these are the teen years and it seems it's to be what is expected.  Shoot me now if this is what I have to look forward to in hygiene from a teen.  During the flight the boy started eating Doritos.  It stunk.  Then he licked his fingers and wiped them on his pants.  I know his mother was proud.  He pulled out a huge soda to guzzle and then there was candy galore.  All in a two hour time period.  He stuffed his trash in the pocket in front of him and I assume was hoping that the next passenger would find it on the next flight.  When we were all leaving the plane I watched him cut off an older woman and of course he was on his phone texting as he walked a nice slow pace down the walk way to the main terminal sharing his thoughts of the day with someone a far.  I guess he wasn't a boy scout in his younger days (you know just five or six years ago) that would instruct him to respect the elderly.  Or maybe that is not part of the boy scout way any longer?  Maybe they give a badge for texting?  

Yesterday I was boarding the plane for home and I once again found myself seated to two kids again.  Mental note to self:  I need to request a seat change next time this happens because it seems like every time I end up in a window seat with two kids beside me on an afternoon flight to Denver, we are delayed.  This was the third time!  Yesterday I had a two hour delay on the runway.  So it ended up being a six hour flight.

The kids seated next to me were in a word FABULOUS.  I think the girl was probably about 13 or 14.  The boy beside me had to be about 12.  They were traveling with about thirty or more kids and they were on their way back from a trip in DC.  They sat for six hours entertaining themselves by reading, listening to the air traffic control tower talk on channel 9.  Or playing games on their ipods and listening to music.  Every now and then they would ask me a question about the weather.  Or they would encourage me to listen in on the air traffic controllers talking. 

The three boys seated behind me I wasn't as impressed with.  Actually only one of them.  He had long hair.  Skinny jeans on.  Which I am sorry MOTHERS get a grip on yourselves.  Sons should not wear skinny jeans.  It's hideous.   To top it off (literally) the boy had on a trucker cap.  I know this is probably the look and the style.  But, why do we encourage style that is tacky and dirty looking?

From the get go he was just a non stop talker.  And it was clear he really wasn't comfortable with himself because he was trying so hard to make his friends laugh.  If he hit the back of my seat once he hit it five times.  Finally after the death blow kick to my seat I turned around and just gave him the look.  He meekly apologized and then I heard him making comments about how he always gets in trouble.  Apparently he gets tossed out of Target all the time.  The cops have been called on him a dozen times in his words.  I will give credit for not once hearing foul language from him.  That was nice!  I can predict where this kid is going in life.  I don't even know his life at home and I could tell that he's not getting guidance.  But, he is really not getting lessons in manners!  Manners are free! 

Three hours into the flight skinny jean boy fell asleep.  Thank goodness!  It finally was quiet.  For the record everyone around me that was not with this group kept turning around to see what this kid was doing.  He was so loud. 

By the end of the flight I wanted to adopt the two children beside me.  Instead I asked where they attend school.  Century.  I wanted to ask for their parents email addresses just so I could email and say BRAVO and How did you do it?  If I had seen their parents in baggage claim I would have made a point of telling them how great their kids were on the flight.  I truly think now as a parent that you just want your kids to behave at the very least in public. 

They say all children are formed in their personalities by five.  They will be who they are going to be.  I tend to agree.  That's why we are trying to drive hom thank you, yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir in this house every second of the day.  So far so good.  But, you know it's going to be the death of me the day my daughter yells thru the house "yeah".  I pray skinny jeans are out by then.  Not for fear that my daughter will wear them.  But, for fear that when she is 17 and dating that her date comes to the door in them! 

My point in all of this is that I don't believe we need to live by the strict rules of Emily Post.  Times have changed.  But, I wish that we could live in a world where people are just trying to be courteous and know how to meet n greet and where there boundaries are.  That's all.  I'm not asking for much, right?


 

Only it's not in Colorado.  It's in Florida.  I am running around today tying up business and odds and ends so that I can enjoy the lovely resort South Seas in Captiva.  www.southseas.com/
I love destination weddings.  I had one myself.  But, I love seeing what a venue that I have never visited to begin with can do for a bride and groom on their special day.

The best part of the weekend is that I get to see my very dear friend and partner in champagne crime and wedding planning Kelly.  I adore her!  I seriously do not know how I did this business for so long without knowing her.  www.destinationnapleswedding.com/  She is the queen of destination weddings in Florida. 

Have a good weekend!  I can't wait to see a few new ideas.  And hopefully get a little sun.  Plus, I'll get to be in humidity which I LOVE!

As in ridiculous how HUGE it is.  So let me state the obvious right?

Today I was looking for ideas for quotes on an invite that is being specially designed.  I ended up clicking on one blog that came up in google then it led to another blog, then another and then another.

It is amazing how much you can find out in a blog that someone keeps daily.  There are goregous blogs out there too.  People really have come a long way since when I started.  Which was over five or six years ago now.  Who knew!

I get such inspiration from other blogs.  But, honestly I don't have the time to blog between clients, meetings, and trying to price out items for my clients these days.  I am just in such a busy season.  

I am loving that it's nice and cool out today.  It's aging flower pots for me (which are for a client) rather nicely.  I need cool temps to mold them.  Gross right?  But, it's really difficult in Colorado to get pots to look aged when you live in a dry climate without humidity.  In the South you just throw a pot in the shade beside your house and in two months you have so much moss and mold growing on it that you fool yourself into thinking you live on an English country side. 

I need to get back to sending photos to Grace Ormonde!

The windows in our house have been covered with plastic that you can't see through for a week now.  I never knew how much I love seeing the tree in the front of the house through the front window.  Or the side of the house out of the kitchen windows.  Or the sky.  Or the moon.  Whatever.

They are finally painting our house.  It's thrilling!  But, nerve racking because every now and then we have to make a decision on which color should go where.

They are also redoing our front porch.  It's going to look so much better than what was there before.  I wish we had done this years ago.  Never will I live with an ugly exterior for so long again.  Famous last words of course.  Since I keep saying I am never remodeling a home again either.  But, some how I know it's my destiny.

is having parties!  I just read this on another site and I have to agree with the author.  The way to succeed as a hostess is to host. 

I've had friends say that I make entertaining look easy.  Which is nice because that means I must appear to be enjoying myself.  Which I am!  I love having people over to our house.  I love everything about it.  I love planning a menu.  Picking out which china, silveware and even down to the color of napkins I'll use.  I love getting flowers ahead of time and arranging them.  I love even cleaning the house.  

I always have a list.  I have a list of lists of things to do if it's a party that is being planned weeks or months ahead.  Or if it's on the spur of the moment I have a list of things to remember to do.  When it's a spur of the moment party I don't really worry about the house being spotless or even if I have flowers. 

The key to entertaining is just getting over the small things.  You don't have to serve a five course meal with your best china.  You can have a party of ships and dip and good beer.  It doesn't matter. 

You don't have to plan for a party like this:  Photo courtesy of Life.com


You can plan for just having fun and seeing friends.  Believe me your guests will just be thrilled to have a cocktail, relax and catch up with friends.