Here are some great, fresh ideas for Spring details. Kristyn and Kyle has an amazing wedding at Troon North Golf Club last spring. We wanted to incorporate green, purple and orange in a young, fun way. Definitely Debra and Petal Pusher did a great job helping us pull this all off. Thanks to Artisan Photography for the images. Enjoy!

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I have been in love with letterpressed paper items for quite some time now. Lucky us, the letterpress train is quickly catching on. Here are some great sites for letterpress stationery.

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I absolutely LOVE holiday decor! In fact, I just finished salivating over the amazing decorations that the President and first lady decided on for the White House. So many fun things to do when it comes to color and creativity. Thanks to my favorite wedding blog Style Me Pretty, I am obsessed with red this season. Look at these cute ideas. Also check out some great ornaments from Etsy. Too much fun!!

Labels: Advice, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Just Jen

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It seems like every bride I come in contact with wants elegant and beautiful candlelight at her wedding. Since these things tend to be more expensive than brides think, I suggest using one of my most rusted website: Candles For Less. They have almost anything you can think of, and for a fraction of what a retailer would charge. Even when I have brides use professionals to do the decor, I have them buy boxes of votives or small pillars that we can add for the overall ambiance they desire.



Another great site I have used in the past is Save On Crafts. They have anything you can think of really. All the deatils you see in magazines that add that extra touch, it is there, and for dirt cheap!

Check them out and have some fun!!

Labels: Advice, All Things Wedding

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So in the past few years when people ask me what the most important thing to look for in a wedding vendor is, I say, hands down, personality. This surprises some. I think they all think I am going to say quality or price. But the reality is, most people can judge quality when they meet with vendors. And price is fairly obvious as you receive quotes and proposals. What isn't so easy to judge is how well are you going to work with this individual. If you ask me, hiring a wedding planner is a sure fire (if you hire the right planner) way of creating a stress-free planning process. But if you choose not to do that, hire vendors based on personality is your next best option. Let me run a couple of situations by you that can potentially be bad if you choose vendors that are hard to work with.

1. You do not like something.
How many brides do you think experience this? Tons! Whether it is your album design, your flower showing, or your make up trial, if you do not like it now. Chances are you will not like later. So you need to feel comfortable with the person to be able to ask them to change things. It is your day, your contract, and your memories. You should get it the way you like it. Now, I am not asking you to be unreasonable, but I am suggesting that some vendors are not that understanding. Find ones that are. This will save you tons of stress throughout all these small decisions.

2. You change your color scheme or overall theme.
This one involves many different vendors: florist, paper lady, cake, linens, rentals, etc. So if you decide to change something it is total overhaul. Even if it is just a little thing in the flowers or an addition to the program. You want to feel comfortable with asking them to make the change, feel confident that they understand what is is you are asking, and comfortable knowing that the outcome will be perfect. Comfort is huge, especially when you make such large changes to a plan already in place.

3. The proposals are a little too high.
If you have a good report with someone, this one should be easy. Most vendors ask for budget up front so they can give you a proposal that will fit that budget. if the budget is too low for them , they will be honest and send you a referral to go with another reputable vendor. If it fits within what they can do, they meet with you and create what they think of as the most appropriate proposal. If it is still too high for your budget, call them back and see if there are any options. Can you change the paper quality, lessen the design, change the type of flowers listed, the quantity, or go with another, less expensive option? Most good vendors will do their best to educate you on costs, so you are not in the dark, but will also work with you to see where they can get your vision to fit your budget.

I could probably go all day. Situations surrounding a wedding are numerous. And you want to make sure the people you hired to make your day go as planed will make sure that happens with as little stress to you as possible. Please avoid vendors who think it is all about them on your day. Avoid people who you think have questionable taste. And most of all avoid vendors you just don't get a good feel for.  You will be working with the people really closely, to do things that mean a lot to you.  Establishing a play list, taking pictures, making an album, creating floral pieces, developing a flow for the night.  You want to do this with people who care enough about your day to make you feel stress free and comfortable.  

I had a girlfriend get married last March. Since it was a busy time of year for me I did as much as I could to help her, but ultimately she planned the whole thing on her own. As her day approached I started asking questions about all the vendors she hired. She knew little of them and was a little worried that they were going to forget about her wedding day. Then she said her engagement pictures didn't turn out as well as she hoped. Needless to say, her limo did forget about her, her pictures were less than appealing and her DJ was just plain weird, killing the party way before she would have liked. This is way worse than anything you will probably experience, but if you base your choices off personality (if you have already established quality), I am sure you will have a great outcome! Happy planning!

Labels: Advice, All Things Wedding

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I am still fuming! Tonight as I drove home from watching my husband's band play their last run of their show before I see them again at the football game this Friday, I was happy. It is Labor Day, I am finally feeling better (since I had been sick all weekend) my husband had the day off to spend time with me, and then in turn I was able to support him by watching his kiddos at the end of practice. So as I drove home, I was happy and feeling like I had a pretty good day. That was until this truck, like the picture above, decided he had to ruin it! So here's the story...

I was driving (like I said earlier) and this truck (much too large to be safe on the road. But what do we Americans know about that? As long as it is bigger than my neighbors and get the chicks, who cares right?) pulls p behind me and starts flashing it brights. Now I went to U of A in Tucson, so I am familiar with freeway etiquette. If you are driving in the left hand lane, the "fast lane", and you are going to speed limit, you should pull to the right for slower cars. I got that. However, I was going over the speed limit and there was a car to the right of me. So I couldn't get over. While contemplating my dilemma I decided I would wait for the car to my right to pull far enough forward that I can get over and let this truck, who apparently has to get somewhere right now or else the world is coming to and end, go ahead of me. As I am thinking this through the truck pulls into the right hand land and pushes up on the car that is there. Then when it is right besides me, starts to run me off the road. I kid you not. AND it was pulling a freaking boat, so I had to get all the way into the median just so I wouldn't get hit. Oh, I was pissed!!

So, since I have been in two major accidents, both by drivers who were jerk offs and had no reason to be driving the way they were, I decide to follow this guy (or girl, I have no idea) just to make sure they had what they deserved coming to them. By the way, this is not recommended. No by me, the gal I spoke with at 911 emergency and the DPS guy I spoke with on the phone. But I didn't care. I wanted justice. I was seriously so caught off guard that someone would actually do something like that to another human being. What if I didn't notice he was obviously in a hurry and was oblivious to his bad choice. I would have been highway food. I drive a Camry for crying out loud. Not a F250 carrying a boat!

So long story short, I finally followed him long enough for the police to catch up and pull the truck over. They called me and said the police officer would call me back. So here I am waiting to nail this guy when the officer finally calls. Hopefully justice was done. If not, head this advice: It is never that important that you should endanger someone else's life. I know I drive borderline grandma sometimes, but hey, I am safe. And I do not have to live with the fact that I ruined someone's (maybe lots of people's lives) just because I was impatient and self-centered.

Labels: Advice, Just Jen

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So the other day I was driving (probably to Starbucks’s since I seem to be on a caffeine drip these days) and I saw a girl’s bummer sticker that said “Bridezilla on Board”. Immediately I thought, ‘When did being a Bridezilla become a thing to be proud of and why would someone want that title stuck permanently to their car?’ So, I got to thinking about Bridezillas for the next 20 minutes and I thought I would share my thoughts with you fine people.

First, I think we need to define what a Bridezilla is. I am sure this varies, but I really believe that Bridezillas are:
1. Unreasonable with their requests.
2. Unorganized, and blame everyone else when things falling apart.
3. Unfocused, not remembering the big picture or what really matters. 4. Unkind to those around them.
And 5. Well, just kind of unfortunate. It is a wedding day and they are a bride. Those are two of the most beautiful things out there. Hugs, kisses, love, white dress, veil, flowers, candles, music, oh it just makes me melt. Makes me smile. Makes me want to plan weddings for a living! Bridezilla. Well, that just makes me cringe. It is just not attractive at all and so not worth it. Why ruin something that you are putting so much time, money and heart in to? Believe me. What ever it is that is putting you over the edge, it won’t matter when it is all said and done!

As a wedding planner, people often say two things when they find out what I do for a living. Either, “That sounds like such a fun job.” Which, it is. Or, “Do you ever have any Bridezillas?” Luckily, I have amazing brides. I love them and we all get along great! In fact, I really believe that Bridezilla emerges when the bride has too much on her plate and just kind of snaps. When you have a wedding planner, that is minimized and Bridezilla stays at bay. So, what about the girls that take pride in being Bridezillas? (Like my friend on the freeway…) Well, if you saw it on TV (or whatever) and it looked appealing to you, then good luck! I am not sure anyone’s rants are going to change your mind. But, if you would rather enjoy your special day without turning into what society has claimed is more creature than human, either hire someone to help with that stress or just be aware of your actions. Be reasonable. Be organized. Be focused on the end goal. And most of all, be nice! Everyone will enjoy themselves so much more if Bridezilla does not arrive!

Side note: When I was looking for pictures for this blog entry I was in shock. Apparently there are a ton of brides that really do need a good massage, a walk in the park, or a good ol’ fashion chill pill. Let’s all just take one big collective breath, shall we?

Labels: Advice, All Things Wedding

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So a big (actually HUGE) part of my job is to educate brides and grooms when they are making decision regarding their wedding. One of my mottos for life is "It is all about choices". (If you think about it, it really applies to everything!!!) And believe me, bad choices make for bad memories. And no body wants those! So if you want to avoid Bridezilla-dom and you who are not my current (or future- sad for you :o) client list, I have decided to start an advice section of my blog. Check it out every now and then. Learn from me, and make better choices! Enjoy your good decisions and enjoy your day! My philosophy is, if it helps you, I don't mind sharing. Also, ask questions!! Don't feel you know everything or you will just get overwhelmed. If you have an interesting question email them to me and you may be featured on the blog! Send all inquiries to jen@imonievents.com. I would be more than happy to respond. Here's to making couples much more intelligent, and happy!!

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