It's been a crazy few months...

These past few months have been full chaos and new adventures. In October my husband and I spent three weeks in Italy and Croatia. It was a wonderful time and we couldn't have asked for better weather. I've also been busy meeting with new clients and working with a talented graphic designer to relaunch the new "Simply Chic Event Planning" web site! In addition to my crazy lifestyle, I began training for the Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3-day Walk (60 miles)that's in October 2009. Our teams name is "Saving Second Base". We've been busy with fundraising and promoting awareness. I'm really looking forward to being apart of something so important.

Don't worry, I wasn't kidnapped!

Things have been kind of crazy these past few weeks! I've been very busy with meeting with new clients and reaching out to more vendors. I promise I'll be more disciplined when it comes to blogging!

Also, I'll be launching a new site with the help of a great friend and web designer, so be on the look out for that (Hopefully it will be done sometime October). I hope everyone had a happy and safe summer and are ready to welcome FALL!

Part II - Jennifer and Lance's Budget Conscious Wedding

"Next came the hunt for the perfect dress. As so many brides do, I changed my mind time and time again. In May 2006, I decided to go to a local dress shop and look at their gowns because I wasn't really happy with the one I'd chosen. The first one would have been better suited to getting married in my Mom's backyard (my original plan). I went in and found the dress. Since it wasn't a designer gown, it didn't have the designer pricetag. But it was based on Maggie Sottero's Dion so it had an expensive look for a low price. The dress, veil, and shoes came to $440.00.

I splurged on one area. The person doing the ceremony. We're not religious so we didn't want a church wedding. We also didn't want the Mayor doing it in a cold, impersonal ceremony at the courthouse. ("Do you? Yes. Do you? Yes? Good! You're married. Kiss her!" - Spaceballs) So what are the alternatives for people like us? In my research online, I came across an organization called Celebrant USA. They helped me find our officiant, Lois Heckman. And she was worth every penny. When we met with her for the first time at Shawnee, she was very personable and answered every question that I had. She was also intrigued with some of our ideas for the wedding, including the handfasting. I wanted something different from the unity candles and sand ceremonies that I had been seeing online and I wanted to incorporate a little bit of the Celtic flavor that has always interested me. Thus the theme was born: Our Favorite Things.

Lois was the best decision I made second to agreeing to marry Lance. She took the handfasting and ran with it. She also took the time to get to know us and really custom wrote a ceremony that was just so ... us. I recommend her to everyone I possibly can.

Since I wanted to incorporate our favorite things, I started looking for things that were reminiscent of us. I found our invitations online at The American Wedding Company. What says wedding better than a motorcycle draped in flowers? :o) Our favors and our cake were chocolate. Our centerpieces were made of candles and coffee beans. And I made our table numbers and table cards myself using a book theme, since I am a huge reader. That was about it in my DIY skill.

Our DJ was Lance's friend so he gave us a discounted rate. I found our photographer on Craigslist as he was just starting his business at the time. I found the woman who made our handfasting cord on eBay.

All in all, we had a fantastic day. The food was good. We got married in the most beautiful place possible for us. And we're living our happy ending."

Speaking of Cakes...

I stumbled across a great blog that I'm sure many of you will LOVE. It's called "Cake Wrecks" and it highlights professional cakes that have gone terribly wrong. I think it's something that you have to see to believe. The author of the blog features cakes with hysterical spelling errors, inappropriate cake themes, and anything else you could possibly imagine going wrong with a cake. Below are links to just a few of my favorites that have been featured on CAKE WRECKS!

"Speaking of Weeding"

"When Brides Have No Budget (or taste)"

"We Have a Failure to Communicate"

I'm back...

So the past few weeks have been really crazy at home. I've been in and out of doctors appointments trying to figure out what's wrong with me. Well I'm happy to say that things are better and I'm ready to start blogging again!

If you have any questions or would like some advice on a certain event topic, just shoot me an email, I'll be glad to answer it for you!

They're BIG and They're FAKE!

Wedding styles and trends come and go, and are always evolving. Something that has surely changed is the WEDDING CAKE. Brides have said "goodbye" to the traditional white butter cream frosted cake and "hello" to something BIG and FABULOUS. Wedding cakes are now becoming more of a focal point of the "big day". The bigger, the better!

With bigger and better cakes, comes a bigger price tag. Many brides want the towering cake that probably feeds 500 people, when in fact their guest count is only 180. In reality, who would want to spend an extra thousand dollars for cake that no one will eat? Not me! That's why bakeries and brides alike have gotten creative and have designed a great trick to get the look of the cake you want without breaking the bank! GO FAKE!

Many bakeries now offer "dummy layers" for your wedding cake. For example, say you want a 6 tier cake and your guest count is 150. Obviously, you will not need 6 layers for 150 people, so the baker will offer to incorporate fake layers into your cake to give you the height and look that you want. The fake layers usually consist of Styrofoam and are decorated exactly like the rest of the cake. I guarantee, your guests will not know the difference!


Another option is to go completely fake. I'm currently working with a bride who is on a tight budget. She would LOVE to have the towering decorative fondant cake, but it's just not an option. We have opted to create a tall, luxurious, fake wedding cake! The bottom layer will be real so that she will be able to cut the cake with her husband and as for the guests, we will have multiple sheet cakes that the kitchen staff will cut and serve to guests.

There are many sites that sell or rent fake wedding cakes, or kits that you can make them yourself. If you decide to contract a bakery to make your fake wedding cake, you will more than likely have to purchase your sheet cakes from them in return. Be sure to check with them before signing a contract.

Resources:

DIY Fake Wedding Cakes

Cake Rentals

More Cake Rentals

Tradition...TRADITION!

Recently I had a talk with some of my favorite girls about wedding traditions they are happy to see go and ones they hope never leave. Many are happy to see that the once traditional "bridal party table" is now becoming a thing of the past, and I couldn't agree more. We opted for the sweetheart table, that way my hubby and I had our own personal time together and our bridal party could sit with their family or date for the evening. Another option is for the bride and groom to sit at a table with their parents and close relatives (I suggest this only if you get along with the in-laws).

Another tradition mentioned was the good old bouquet and garter toss. We all know that the person who catches the bouquet or garter will be the next to marry, but why do we really do it? TRADITION! I think years ago people actually believed in the tradition, also it was viewed as a way to get guests involved and also created great photo/video memories, and now it's become a staple in almost every wedding, almost like an obligation. Over the past few years I've noticed the lack of enthusiasm by the single guests to participate in the garter/bouquet toss. I recently attended a wedding where it took the DJ a good 10 minutes to get people on the dance floor for this "fun" tradition. I'm not saying that it's an outdated tradition that must be banned, but don't feel like you have to do it... I really don't think your guests will mind

I personally love (and my girls agree with me) the special dance that the bride and groom have with the significant person in their life. I had to be such an attention whore and have two dances, one with my father, and the other with my twin brother. It's not only the intimate dance that you get to have with that special person, but the thought you get to put behind the song that you choose. I chose the traditional "daddy's little girl" for my dance with my father, and "Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong) for my dance with my brother.

We agreed unanimously that the tradition of "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" should absolutely stay! We really had no reason as to why, we just loved the saying. Check out my post about the "blue tradition" and what brides are doing to make the tradition their own!

(Photos Courtesey of Faith West Photography: My Wedding 11/18/2006)

Jennifer & Lance's Budget Conscious Wedding (Part 1)

"When we started talking about our wedding, we kicked around a lot of ideas. We discussed wedding size, location, colors, etc. First and foremost were the finances. We wanted to find a venue that would allow us to have a ceremony onsite along with taking care of the setting up. We were also looking for something cost effective because we were going to pay for the wedding ourselves. I did a lot of research online and found a few venues that seemed reasonable. We also just walked into several places and started asking questions about their wedding packages. When we walked into the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, we both knew that we'd found THE place. Since it is a public facility, anyone can drive onto the grounds so we did. We found our wedding location immediately and sealed it with a kiss under the trees.

We went into the Inn and asked to talk to someone about their wedding packages. We met with the first Catering Sales Manager and worked well with her. She told us about the standard packages and showed us several rooms. She asked us for the size of the wedding and showed us the Delaware Room when we said we were having a smaller wedding. As the conversation developed, we worked out a brunch reception with a 12:30 ceremony time. We also discussed alternates to the traditional champagne toast and came up with mimosas. It fit the brunch theme. The cake came along with the package and she gave us the name of the place that did their cakes: Brodheadville Shop Rite. We selected the date at that time too. Best of all, she gave us the standard brunch price per person if we could guarantee 35 people so we paid approximately 21.95/person."

Visit back for PART 2 of Jennifer and Lance's Budget Conscious Wedding

Waisted paper

When it comes to my home and event planning, I like to consider myself a perfectionist. I like everything just so. I love the look of an organized escort card table, I love the feel of crisp table linens ready to be set, and I love the packaging of a beautiful invitation. So when visiting my in-laws you can imagine my surprise (disgust) when they showed me the invitation to a certain family members wedding (We are not invited... long story). The couple is having a beach wedding followed by a buffet at a local restaurant. The invitation was typed on a piece of computer paper, with multiple typos, and a request to RSVP via e-mail.

I'm all for cost-saving ideas, and budgeting yourself, but knowing that this couple makes twice as much as my husband and I, they own two beach front properties, and drive expensive cars, I couldn't believe that they would send this misspelled, bland, waste of paper!

Another thing that bothered me was the fact that she felt the need to list every item that would be served at the buffet, and I mean everything, down to the butter and rolls. I've never known to mention the menu if you are having a buffet unless your family has rare and extreme food allergies or specific dietary needs.

Ladies, if you do decide to make your own invitations using computer paper, can you at least use the spell-check feature... it's there for a reason. Also, try to remember that your invitation is your guests first impression of your event, so make sure it reflects your theme, style, and/or personality!

An evening with Martha

Last night was the kind of night that I didn't want to end. My hubby was working late so I had the house all to myself, and I did what any woman would do when she has a house to herself... I spent a quiet evening with Martha Stewart (I bet you thought I was going to say "walk around the house naked"...lol) I spent the evening catching up with the latest trends, styles, decor, etc. with Martha Stewart Weddings (Collectors Edition), Real Simple Weddings, and I started reading my new book "Chasing Harry Winston" (chick lit).

Jessica & Tom's Island Wedding in Maine

"My wedding style started off as a mishmash of ideas really. Just picking random things from magazines and the Internet. I told my bridesmaids that they could pick among themselves the color and style of the bridesmaids dress they wanted because I really didn't care what my colors were, I just wanted the dresses to be the same. I had originally had red in mind because it would look nice on everyone, and they ended up picking the red anyway.

As far as my flowers I knew I wanted roses, and I really didn't want all red, and I really didn't want white either because my dress was ivory. I wanted some nice complimentary colors and some bright summer colors mixed in. I wanted reds, pinks, chartreuse, and more. My florist was fantastic when I went to him with these ideas. I didn't even know how the colors I had in my head were going to turn out, but they made all of the colors I loved work together.

We made the table numbers ourselves. They were candle plates from Wal-mart. We printed the numbers off the computer, cut them out and decoupaged them on. My only tip is to let the plates dry as long as possible, and put wax paper between them before stacking them to transport them. The decoupage remained somewhat tacky for a long time. We got the black easels from a craft store.

We combined our table assignments with our favors, as well as each guest's food choice. We had issues with the reception hall because I wanted to have more food choices than they wanted my guests to have. They agreed that if we could come up with a way to make it organized so that the servers would be able to tell who had what, and so the guest wouldn't have to remember what they had ordered on the invite, that we could do it.

Our favors were glass coasters that you could put photos in. We tied the coasters together with ribbon. Each ribbon color was a different meal choice. The front coaster had the guests' name along with their table number. The ribbon on their coaster was their meal choice. We had small clear plastic easels in front of each place setting for the coasters to set in so the servers could see them and serve the proper meal. The people at the venue were very happy with our solution.

We hired the trolleys out of necessity because of a lack of parking at the ceremony site. It was a lot of fun, and the whole wedding party rode the trolley from the ceremony back to the reception. The invitations were the pocket fold kind and one of the cards inside included a small blurb about the trolley service, where to wait for it etc. The invites had a box to check if you wanted to ride the trolley or not so we would know how many trolleys we would need and the trolley service would know how many runs they needed to make. The signs on the front were made up at a local print shop.

We made the invites ourselves. We ordered the envelopes and the actual pocket fold, as well as the background colored paper from My Gatsby. My mom, dad and I made the rest of the invitations on the computer, got together, drank a bunch of wine, cut and glued the invitations together. It was a nice time to spend with my parents." (Nestie: MaineWifey)

Jennifer & Travis's Lakeside Wedding

"My family has been on Diamond Lake (on the Washington-Idaho border) for 3 generations. When Travis and I were looking at a place to get married, we knew we wanted a "non-traditional" wedding. Neither of us are the "large church wedding" and "princess-style reception" type people. I knew I wanted to be married outside and on a beach. After looking at the cost of a beach wedding in Hawaii, we decided not to spend that much money. The best venue was right under our noses: my parent's lake house. So, the planning began.

We went with a "tropical" theme with the colors of black and white accented with bright tropical accents. I think the DIY accent I'm most proud of is my table decorations. After living in Hawaii for a while, I have many bright sarongs with tropical prints, and those became my table runners. I then took various sizes of hurricane vases (from the dollar store) and put about 3 inches of sand in each one (from the beach). I then sprinkled shells around a pillar candle. Just about everything was DIY, but I have some very talented friends and family.

The flowers were mixed-color 2-dozen bunches from Costco. A friend of the family put them together to be bouquets. I made the programs that doubled-duty as fans, we rented tables and beach chairs which came with the table cloths.

We had a wonderful day, and our total cost, including my dress and Travis's tux rental was about $5800. Our big expense was the photography, followed by the catering (Texas-style Barbecue) and rental of the Bed and Breakfast across the lake. Of course, Travis and I put a lot of "sweat-equity" into the grounds and maintenance to help my parents out and to make it beautiful for the big day." (Nestie DocJen)

Wedding Wire Giveaway (PA, NJ, DE Brides)

Simply Chic Event Planning is giving away a certificate for 50% off our "day of" package. To enter, click here or submit your entries to Nicole@simplychicep.com Be sure to include the following information:

NAME:

EMAIL ADDRESS :

PHONE NUMBER (optional):

EVENT DATE:

Entries must be received by September 5, 2008. The winner will be selected September 8, 2008

Good Luck!

Featured Brides

I've decided to make my blog a little more personal and have you hear from some brides about their wedding planning experience, their DIY projects, cost-saving tips, what they would or wouldn't have done differently and details about their special day.

I think this would be a great way for brides-to-be to see various types of weddings, from the over the top to the budget conscious and everything in between.

If you are married and would like to be a featured bride and share your wedding adventure with others, contact me via the Email link on the left side of the page.

~Something Blue~

Wedding styles and trends are forever changing, and many traditions are fading away but something that hasn't fell from the spotlight is the tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe. Many brides have said "goodbye" to the traditional blue garter or handkerchief and have embraced different ways to wear their "something blue"

(Blue wedding shoes)

(Dyed blue crinoline slip)

(Blue initials on bottom of wedding shoes)

(Embroidered initials under wedding dress)

(Wedding Anklet)

I love how some wedding traditions still keep the original sentimental meaning, but reinvents itself for the sake of style and the times.

Oh So Delovely Designs

Delovely Designs is a custom stationary and invitation design company. Charlotte, the owner of Delovely Designs, is a creative genius. She has a true gift for recognizing the style and personality of all her clients and reflecting it into her custom stationary, invitation and monogram creations.

Over the past year or so, I had the opportunity to watch Charlotte expand her business, and services. Her services are very popular throughout THE KNOT community and its wonderful to continue to see her business bloom. Charlotte created my first company logo and I have the pleasure of working with her again for the revamping of my company.

If you are in need of custom creative services, please contact Delovely Designs .

Don't Sweat the Seating Charts

Figuring out seating arrangements can be a huge pain the butt, and not mention having to deal with every ones suggestions as to who sits where, and don't bother drawing pictures of tables with every ones name on the table, I guarantee by the time you are done you will have scribbled out so many names that your seating chart now looks like a Picasso painting!

I have a tip that can save you time. Here's what you do: purchase mini post-its and write each guests name on an individual post-it, then gather as many paper plates as there are tables for your event. Number the plates as you would the tables at your event and begin sticking each guest (post-it) to their corresponding table. If you need to move someone, just move the post-it, it's that simple. No scribbled mess and they stack nicely out of the way when you are not using them.

Warm Glow of Elegance

Centerpieces can be used to add a pop of color, to reflect personal style, or to create a mood. When we think of centerpieces, many of us think of flowers. Although flowers always seem to be the popular choice for centerpieces and decor, budget will play a part in whether you have roses or carnations, hydrangea or daisies. Sometimes our favorite flowers aren't in season and we find ourselves spending double per stem just to have them shipped in from another county.

When working with clients on a budget I always suggest candlelight. Not only is it a cost saving idea, but it adds a warm glow, and creates a romantic setting for you and your guests. If you have a venue with high ceilings try using taller pillar candles and remember that you don't have to use white or ivory candles. Spice it up and find candles that match your color scheme. You can also add satin ribbon sashes around your candles, rhinestones and even photos of you and your fiancé.

Remember, centerpieces don't stop at flowers. Create something that reflects you and your personal style. The more you can do yourself, the more green you will save in the end!

*Photo Candle Wrap Instructions (Courtesy of HGTV.com)

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_home_accessories/article/0,1789,HGTV_3255_3148223,00.html

*Beaded Candle Wrap Instructions (Courtesy of HGTV.com)

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_furnishings_other/article/0,,HGTV_3433_1388405,00.html

*Unscented Pillar Candles (Tons of colors to choose from)

http://www.keystonecandle.com/Unscented_Pillars.htm

*Super Sweet 16*

I had the ultimate task of planning my sisters Super Fabulous Sweet 16 party. Everything was wonderful. My family and especially my husband Steve really helped a lot. We were able to set everything up at the venue the night before, which was great. Her colors were Black, Pink and Leopard Print.... Very tacky, I know, but my sister loved it! Her cake was done by a local bakery that we love to use. They did Steve's grooms cake, and My brother's girlfriends 21'st B-day cake! One day I'll get a cake from them (wink wink).

I refused to let my sister see everything before it was complete, so she didn't show up until 20 minutes before her guests. I was so nervous she wasn't going to like it (she's hard to please), but she did, and I couldn't have been happier. The guests loved the decor, the candy buffet, and of course, the music! Our DJ, a family friend, was great and played all the crappy music teenagers love and tossed in a couple good songs for us old folks...lol.

I just can't believe that I forgot to take photos for my portfolio... I could kick myself for it! I was so concerned with getting everything in order, that I forgot! So please enjoy some photos taken by the guests (teenagers)!

Oh Baby!

Recently I planned my first baby shower, and it was an adventure. The event took place in a private dining area at a high end country club. My client (the mother of the mommy-to-be) was a blast to work with. She trusted my creativity and vision which made my job a lot easier. Having no kids myself, and my friends being childless, I've only been to one baby shower, so I took it upon myself to create a baby shower that I would want to attend.

As we all know, showers tend to be on the boring side. We watch the guest of honor open gifts that she knows she's getting because she asked for them on her registry and everyone ohhh's and ahhh's. Well I decided to keep everyone entertained by playing games that had everyone interacting with one another. We had Baby Bingo which awarded the winner with a bottle of wine rather than some little picture frame or candle they'll never use. We also played a fill in the blank nursery rhyme game which had everyone conversing to find the answers. To give away the floral centerpiece I made little napkin diapers for each place setting, but only person from each table had the "poopy diaper", and that person got to keep the centerpiece. To top everything off the guests were treated to an ultimate candy buffet, with 12 different types of candy. It was a sweet ending to a perfect day!

It was also the first shower I've been to that everyone stayed until the very end. Myself and the staff at the country club had started to clean up while people were still hanging around. All in all, it was a wonderful day and the first of many baby showers!

One Hot Bridal Shower!

A few weeks ago I spent the day orchestrating a beautiful bridal shower for my clients daughter. The happy mother of the bride, was involved with the entire planning process from start to finish. The shower was held in an enclosed veranda at a Country Club in Philadelphia. Unfortunately the country club did not have the a/c on (only the windows open and ceiling fans on) so needless to say, it was slightly uncomfortable, but that didn't seem to damper the guests spirits.

The mother of the bride opted for a "no surprise" bridal shower (which is becoming very popular), and although the bride did know about the shower, she was not aware of all the details/decor of her shower which made for a wonderful photo opportunity when the bride-to-be entered the room. Upon entering the room the guest were greeted with an elaborate candy buffet, and at the center of the buffet was a crystal tree which adorned the color palette of the brides wedding. The guests also received personalized "thank you" candy bars.

The country club staff was a pleasure to work with, which always makes my job easier, and the food was delicious. All in all it was a wonderful day, and most importantly the bride and Mother of the bride left with a smile.