The Shoes Have It

I love shoes!  Let me just put it out there.  I’m always looking for shoes that are different and unique; ones that will stand out on a daily basis and make a statement.  When it comes to your wedding day, the shoe has to be that much more special.  Brides are choosing to be more creative and non-traditional when choosing the shoes they will wear when they walk down the aisle.  Next to the dress, it’s one of the most important accessories, at least in my opinion.

From Zappos.com- Martinez Valero

From Zappos.com- Nina

It’s one thing to find the perfect shoe and another when you can design it yourself.  If you’re anything like me, you like to feel a little special when you get dressed and feel as though no one will be wearing the same thing.  A custom shoe means that no one else has it and it’s all about your creativity and imagination.  While searching for custom shoes, I came across the company Shoes of Prey, where you can design your shoe from beginning to end. From leather, suede, snake skin, Italian silk, and bling; to peep toe, platform, to ankle boots.  The options are endless.  

 

No longer are brides choosing simple white or ivory shoes.  They are expressing their style and personality with colors that pop, reflect their wedding colors, or even their traditions.  Whether wedding or everyday wear, a woman loves to make a statement with her shoes and Shoes of Prey is a great place to start and ruffles, bows, and flowers are in this year.

 

Inspired to Succeed

I attended the Inspire Smart Success Experience, hosted by Stacie Francombe (www.InspireSmartSuccess.com) and it was so much more than I expected!  Many times we sign up for up for conferences or seminars; wanting and eager to learn but are often turned off by the classroom setting, long hours, or the feeling of being “lectured” to.  This was so the opposite of any seminar or conference I had ever been to and I learned information about getting my company published in print and on TV that is by far the most valuable I’ve heard to date!

Registration and Place Cards

The awesome Swag Bags w/Name Tags!

The atmosphere was relaxed and inviting.  The panel included the amazing Wedding & Event Designers, Dianne Valentine and Tiffany Cook, Tony Conway of A Legendary Event, and the editors of some of my favorite wedding magazines!  They were seated on while leather furniture to give a relaxed feel.  We were provided with ISSE pens and notebooks to take notes and absorb all of the information, and when the AC got too cold, the awesome Swag Bags contained green shawls to cover our arms!  To stay connected, we were also given tiny profile books that included our picture, company, and Twitter ID!  How cool is that?

The Panel

Decorated tables w/ISSE notebooks & contact books

My place setting

We learned to important of a sizzle reel and how to write a press kit, the difference between an advertisement and an editorial, and most importantly, that we have nothing to lose so try everything you got!  Go after what you want as it won’t come to you.  Be persistent and doors will open.  Once they do, exude confidence in the brand that you’ve created.  I am Inspired to Succeed…Are you???

A Song For You

We’re often looking to add something new and personal to our wedding ceremonies.  Many times, couples choose to add that personalization by reading a poem, tasting of the four elements, adding their cultural elements, walking down the aisle to a favorite song, or having someone sing their favorite song.

I recently had the opportunity to meet Sauda Fuller, of Songs by Sauda, and she actually writes a special song for the Bride & Groom and performs it at their wedding ceremony!  I think it’s a brilliant idea to sit with the couple, find out about them, write a song, and then perform it at their ceremony!  How much more special would it be to have your own song sang at your wedding?  Just like a custom gift basket from Wrapped Couture, a song by Sauda is created specifically for the bride and groom and their love for each other, which is put on CD for them to keep!  They can also choose to have their favorite love song sang as another option. 

Photo Courtesy of KreativTouch Photography



Photo Coutesy of KreativTouch Photograpy

 Your guests remembers the fun they had and the food they ate but you’ll always remember the look on his face as you walked down the aisle or the moment when you two first danced; the little romantic moments that we may tend to forget over time.  A song can always take you back to those moments and a song that’s your own can make it just that much more special.

Photo Courtesy of KreativTouch Photography

For more information, on how you can have a song created visit the presskit: www.sonicbids.com/sauda or the website: www.saudamusic.com

The Destination Wedding Gift

The question's been popped and she said "yes".  Aside from setting the date, she decided on a location; which happens to be a destination outside of your local area…

Destination weddings aren’t new, but they are increasing in popularity and frequency.  For various reasons, couples are choosing to have more intimate and smaller weddings.

With that being said, guests are often left wondering what to do about gifts.  Since more than 91% of brides register for their wedding gifts, we would naturally gravitate towards their registry and start checking off items.  It’s a challenge for some when the wedding is local (even with a registry), so when the destination is out of the country, the joy of choosing a gift can be a bit more challenging.  For gifts that are being taken internationally, it’s suggested that money or gift certificates are taken to the actual destination or shopping from a registry local to the destination.  Or, you can also take the gifts to the couples’ home or someone that’s been designated to receive them.

Now, here is my suggestion.  There is generally a pre-destination party of some sort; the bachelor party or the bachelorette party, for example; a party to celebrate the journey and wish the couple much love and happiness.  Wouldn’t it be so much cooler to give the happy couple a Custom Gift Basket, specific to who they are, their wedding, or destination of choice; and full of the things that they would need while on the honeymoon?  In a Bridal Guide survey, couples stated that they are most likely to purchase the following:

§  Wardrobe

§  Swimsuit

§  Sunglasses

§  Sunscreen

§  Luggage

§  Video Camera

§  Camera

Of course, most registries and gifts are of items for the home; items to help the couple began their life together and I’m all for that too.  But, wouldn’t it just me a nice thought to show up at the pre-destination party with an unexpected gift that they can just pack away for their honeymoon?  I assure you, they’ll never forget it! 

Real Wedding Wednesday

We are all very well aware of the tragedy that struck Alabama; tornadoes that destroyed homes and lives.  It’s one thing to see it on TV, and yet another to when it hits close to home…

We as Wedding and Event Planners were called upon by Kelly McWilliams, of Weddings by Socialites, to help her bride Martha, who lost absolutely everything in the storm; including the things she had been collecting for her Southern Heirloom wedding.  She had nothing but the clothes on her back and the ring on her finger.  I was eager to assist and it just so happened that I had a lot of the items on her list just sitting in my garage, from a previous wedding I had done.

 

For Real Wedding Wednesday, I wanted to write this post to see how the items that I’ll be donating to Martha will be transformed from the Cabin Wedding that I had done.  As planners and designers, we look at things with a different set of eyes than most.  My color scheme was lavender and pale green; hers is blue and white.  But both brides will have used (by the time Martha’s wedding is here) mason and water jars, hay, galvanized buckets, Hydrangea, and plenty of lace!  How will my bride’s items play a role in Martha’s Southern Heirloom Wedding that’s she’s most deserving of?

I’m sure that the outpouring of help has been enormous and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!

To learn how you can contribute, visit http://weddingsbysocialites.blogspot.com  for more information.

Flowers That Last

Many of us watched the Royal Wedding with great anticipation of the same details we look for in the many weddings that we see on a regular basis.  What’s the style of her dress?  What will the bridesmaids wear?  What will the cake look like and even the flowers.  We all know that the bride is the star of the show.  But how many of us stop to think of what happens after the wedding day is said and done?

If you’re like me, you love flowers; the look of them, the smell of them, and the way that they can put a smile on a face or transform a space from nothing to something so easily.  But we pay a pretty penny for these wonderful works of nature; yet they don’t last forever no matter how hard we try.  Or maybe they do…

I literally stumbled upon Freeze Frame while researching for a gift basket.  I was hooked from the beginning!  To be able to send your flowers to them and have them preserved and turned into necklaces, bracelets, rosaries, men’s jewelry, and much more is totally amazing.  Or if you were anything like me, you’d have the entire bouquet framed!  With the extra work that goes into the bridal bouquet; from the flowers to the way that it’s wrapped.  It’s often a masterpiece all on its own.  Who wouldn’t want to keep the whole thing???

Many of us keep with tradition and exchange gifts during the rehearsal dinner.  Who’s to say we can’t break tradition and give a small token after the wedding to your bridal party that says “Thanks for being in my wedding” by preserving the bridesmaids bouquets or groomsmen boutonnières.  Bridal fashion has improved over the years but I’m sure that a piece of jewelry will be a greater addition to their wardrobe and one that would be definitely be used again!  Let’s face it, how many times have you re-worn your bridesmaids dress?  And anyone who knows me knows I have an obsession with jewelry; just as I do with shoes and chocolate, so this would be a gift that I would surely appreciate.

Freeze Frame was also contacted to preserve the flowers for the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner.  So they just don’t preserve wedding day flowers!  If you’d like to have any of your flowers preserved, you may visit their website at www.freezeframeit.com or www.bloombeads.com or contact Carli Dixon at 800.822.9273.