Flashback!

I can't believe I am about to do this! I seriously just can't - but I am. Saundra over at planning...forever events recently wrote a post on the things she would change if she could marry her husband all over again. Well that got me thinking - my husband and I got married in the early 90's and there are SO many things that just, well, don't work now-a-days - HUGE flowers, HUGE dresses- HUGE hair, HUGE headpieces, I mean things were BIG and by big I mean ridiculous! But one good thing was that Photojournalism was just becoming BIG (that might be our only saving grace!)

We got married on an little teeny tiny budget and just couldn't afford a professional photographer, luckily being a wedding planner and knowing some of the best of the best - Powers Photography offered to do some photographs of John and I prior to the wedding if we were willing to get into our wedding gear and pose for a class. (a class of like 12 people staring intensely at you while you were all intimate). So we did. Luckily we did, because we only have one good picture of us at our wedding, seriously, one picture of us kissing on the deck - so you can't even see our faces.

I seriously cannot thank Susan and Stewart Powers enough, they truly created images for us that we'll have forever. And even though they weren't on our wedding day, and they weren't in the location we got married, that doesn't matter to me -

So on your wedding day if you are thinking of having Aunty Marge take photographs for you and even if she's really good with the camera, do you want to take that chance? Photographs of your wedding aren't expensive, they are priceless!

Hey! A girl has to be comfortable, right!?!?!?

Us, just chilling out on a bench while he takes some time to rub my feet - don't you just love that headpiece! It's awesome - and HUGE!
This is us (I think that John is thinking to himself - "Really, I have to get this close and have 12 people watching me and be intimate, it's like 100 degrees outside....HELLO!"

Oh and PS - his tux vest was GOLD - and I mean like Gold Lamme - not like a pretty yellow'y gold, NO it was like being encased in velvet - GOLD! Yup, we got married in the early 90's!

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Baking for Christmas!

So there is something about December - I bake, and I bake and I bake! I love to cook, I love to experiment in the kitchen, I do that all year round. Most of my friends think I am a crazed lunatic that likes to think I am a Gourmet Chef in a wedding consultant's body.... but they are just crazy. Unlike me of course, who this year decided to tackle making home made puff pastry - see I am not crazy. Just insane!

Have you even attempted to make home made Palmiers? Well I did, I started this process last Saturday evening, grating frozen butter into a mix of flour and baking soda.... and then into the fridge it went (over night for me...) then the rolling, folding and chilling, rolling, folding and chilling, rolling, folding and chilling - okay you get it, lots of rolling folding and chilling...

Well last night was the big debut! So I rolled out my dough onto the Cinnamon and sugar and rolled and rolled and rolled (my arms are literally sore today!) and folded, and cut - and cut- and cut- and prayed to the heaven above that all of this work wouldn't produce a gloppy mess.

And what I wound up with in the end, looks pretty much like the picture above! They taste amazing!!! (well I think so) and I totally think they were worth all of the work!!! If you are in a patient mood, and love to bake - try this recipe, your family and friends will go insane over them!

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Vendor Contracts - Part 3

Bands and DJ's can make or break the party, so don't just believe what you hear - make sure your band or DJ contract includes everything listed below.

And if you are in the industry this book is fantastic! It's written by my friend Peter Merry and you are looking for fun ways to change up your timeline but still keep things running smoothly - or you are a bride and looking for ways to personalize your reception, he's the guy - he has some amazingly fun ideas! Check it out!

Name and contact information for your client and the vendor

• Your wedding date, address of location, and exact arrival time


• Whether the bandleader/DJ will also serve as emcee


• The number of hours the band/DJ will work
  
• Any equipment you or the site needs to supply: chairs, tables, music stands, amplifiers
• Equipment the band/DJ will supply
• Songs you have specifically requested as must-plays (or date by which you need to supply list)


• Any songs you definitely don’t want played
  
• What the musicians/DJ will wear
• Any agreement for you to supply CD’s/sheet music
  


• Total Price
  


• Overtime rate, should your reception run long
  
• Deposit amount
• Deposit amount due
  


• Balance due date
  


• Cancellation and refund policy
  


• Bandleader or DJ’s signature

Of course, the actual contracts are important, you'll also learn ALOT of what you need or want to know from other vendors as well and through the grapevine (although don't believe everything you hear) it's good to know what other people are thinking. Small communities or big cities, the wedding/event world is a place all it's own.

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In case you haven't checked it out...

Take a peek (well, listen) at this Wedding PodCast - if you haven't heard of it, it's the Who's Wedding is it Anyway? Gang, talking frankly about being a wedding planner, being on TV and just the ins and out's of being a consultant in general. If you ever thought of being a wedding planner, or wanted to know what we think - spend of some and take a listen!

Enjoy!

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