Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself...

from this lovely lady...Adventures in Wedding Planning

Open Letter to Brides

Dear Brides,

First let me congratulate you on your-up-and-coming wedding! I know you've been dreaming about this day for a long time and you want it all to be perfect! Trust me, we of all people know that. And maybe some of you haven't been dreaming about this day forever, and now are just realizing that you need to plan this shin-dig!

A lot of you want to plan every detail of your wedding, you are probably an A-Type personality just like me and want to be involved in every detail of your wedding. I get that. We get that.Wedding Planners are here to make sure that happens. Trust me, you are going to be busy on your wedding day, your mom and fiance are going to be busy too.

Who is going to be there to execute those details so you don't have to worry about them getting done and your vision happens how you've dreamed it would be. It's our job, that's what we do.

I know you hired the best photographer, and the best caterer and the best videographer! And I am thrilled that you've placed your trust in those vendors to make your wedding dreams come true! And they are fantastic at what they do!

But please, let them do their jobs - they work better when they are allowed to take pictures and give you amazing food and amazing products. Allow yourself to trust us to do ours and make your dreams come true.

Hiring someone to help you is not giving in, it's not giving up, it's allowing yourself to relax and enjoy your wedding!

I want you to enjoy your wedding!

With Tons of Love,

Melissa DiStefano
Owner and Lead Planner
MasterPiece Weddings
Wedding Planner, Gainesville, Florida

A Word About Themes

I am planning a wedding now for June next year with a splendidly fun couple, Michele and Pascal. Pascal is from France and is a quiet but very funny dude. Michele is sweet and also quite the card - somewhat resigned to her many, and complicated, family pressures. She's handling it all like a champ - just isn't sweating the small stuff, what a treat these two are!

They are world travelers and hence have gone with a travel theme for the reception. This will be handled tastefully, with a bit of reining in of the groom who seems taken with the whole theme idea - we barely skated through without costumes, but I think he was kidding, it was hard to tell! He's really jazzed about a cake decorated up like a piece of old luggage. I think the fact that he's jazzed about it means he'll get it - the bride has given him full reign with the cake. Luggage tags for escort cards and we'll call the theme a day. I hope.

Themes can be taken a bit too far unless one goes whole hog with the costuming, location and mariachi band and turns the party into a bit of a circus. That can be kinda fun but really, the theme IS (or ought to be) celebrating a marriage and sometimes that gets lost in the confetti.

If you are going to have a theme I recommend trying to keep it centered around something that reflects you as a couple. If you travel, show pictures of all the places you've been or use those places to name your tables. If you are Star Trek fans, name the tables after favourite episodes rather than have the groomsmen in those red shirts (the red shirt guys get killed every time, way bad omen) and I'm not sure pictures of the groom as a Klingon is something you really will want to see in 30 years. But that's just me.

Courtesy of Bridal Mania

Michelle and Gerry

Here's a lovely note from a lovely couple that I worked with recently. They hired me at the last minute, a week before their wedding to bring all the elements together for a splendid evening at the Brickworks.

"Gerry and I wish to extend our sincere and eternal gratitude to you for making our day a huge success. Everyone we talk to uses the word "amazing" to describe it...we couldn't agree more. Thank you for pulling it all together and allowing us to enjoy the day and not have to worry about a thing from set-up to tear down." ~ Michelle

This was a beautiful green and teal coloured wedding held on the grounds of the Brickworks - now being revamped by the bride's employer, Evergreen. The ceremony was unique, held in a circle of friends and family and proceeded to a cocktail party with a signature lichee martini beverage. Presidential Gourmet provided the victuals and handled most of the concept design of the modern food station cocktail reception complete with a comfy bridal lounge area instead of head table.

I brought the atmosphere all together with the lighting design and event management - with a little help from the bus driver who brought all the guests from Simcoe...he danced up a storm and kept the happy energy going along with the splendid talents of the DJ from Maximum Music.

Altogether a wonderful evening, if a little hairy in the last-minute craziness of balancing the client and my young son. Daddy and baby helped out all night and were the usual troopers.