It's Starting!

I can tell that wedding season is closely approaching, as our number of calls from frantic brides needing assistance has just about tripled in the last week. It's usually at this point (1-3 months away from the wedding) that brides become overwhelmed at all of the last minute details to be completed: the rehearsal, the reheasal dinner, dress fittings, final consultations with all of the vendors, payments due...and the list goes on! I guess I sympathise with all of these brides, because usually the first words out of my mouth are "It's going to be okay!", though I have a feeling that most of them are thinking that I'm full of it. This is usually when we sign our most "Day of" clients, so it looks like business is doing well!

Yes, I CAN have my cake and eat it, too!

So this past Thursday we went to a bakery and selected our cake. This is the most fun part of wedding planning as a bride, the most boring as a planner. I love seeing all of the creative things that bakers can do, besides just the normal buttercream swirls and monograms. On top of being absolutely *delish* (we chose the half of the cake to be a dark chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream icing and strawberry filling, the other half to be a rich spice cake with vanilla buttercream icing), it is going to be breathtaking. Here is the design we've chosen:

Keeping Sane

So it's almost officially the start of WEDDING SEASON! For some, mostly those "Wedding Crashers" fan, this means open bar and single women, but for the working wedding professional, wedding season means something completely different. A typical wedding weekend usually begins on Friday around 4:00 pm for a rehearsal. We coordinate the rehearsal and sometimes the rehearsal dinner as well. After getting "home", I usually work to pack the car, restock the emergency kit, gather all of the details for the next day. I usually get to sleep around 11:00, and wake up the next morning around 6:00. Off to the reception site around 10:00 to make sure everything is set up appropriately, then on the church around 12:00 to being set-up. What follows is an organized chaos until around 8:00 pm when dinner is served. The reception most likely will end around midnight, and I will finally get home around 1:00 am. So much for a 9-5 job, but it is the best job out there!

2006 Nomination Received!

I have been notified that my company has been nominated for the 2007 Internation Special Events Society (ISES) Saint Louis Chapter LOUIE Award for "Best Wedding Under $200 Per Person". Please visit the ISES Webpage to learn more!

Past Client

A past client is now on a sample video for a local videographer. To view a clip of her video, visit: Archway Media

Hoax, But Not So Unrealistic

We've all seen or heard "Bridezilla" when referring to overly particular brides. But this bride takes the cake! If you will notice, however, she did her hair on her own (or with the assistance of friends). Lesson learned: Hire a hairstylist! For your enjoyement:

Oh I Wish I Had...

Working as a wedding planner has been an amazing experience, one that has rewarded me with becoming pubished in a high-end magazine at 20, creating an award winning "Best Wedding Under $200 per Person" entry for the Internation Special Event Society's (ISES) Louie awards, the front page photo in the St. Louis Post Disptach Business Section (properly titled "Dancing in the Aisles - Busy Professionals Hire Wedding Planners), and so many lifelong friends. It has also provided me with many 6 day work weeks, 14+ hour work days, lost hair, sprained ankles, and sugar shakes that have made me appreciate just how hard physical laborers work. I hope that, through this blog, you are able to understand what a rewarding, yet tough, job wedding consulting can be.