Where I've been ...

I know I've been MIA for more than a week. Here's what's been happening (in no specific order):

* Been working a freakin' lot with things related to the wedding planning business.
* My SIL is officially a PhD!!
* Last Tuesday JA got a year older.
* Tomorrow is Pumpkin's 3rd birthday.
* Next Saturday will be her birthday party.
* I've been doing great in my Facebook's games (FarmTown and Restaurant City). Actually, too good... priorities, priorities..
* I've gained weight and am NOT stressing about it. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. It must be a bad thing.
* Mini-Me has some serious anger issues. Could it be that she's asking for some attention/time? Maybe she's in denial of her upcoming 3-0 birthday?
* JA bought a BBQ
* I'm reading AND LOVING "How to win friends and Influence people" by Dale Carnegie
* Last week I went to a pool. It's most "summery" thing I've done so far.

I think that's pretty much it, or at least all I can remember right now. More updates to come: birthday party!

That Information Would Have Been Useful Yesterday

I love the movie "The Wedding Singer" with Adam Sandler. It is so funny, plus I love the 80's music... His girlfriend leaves him at the altar. Here's a bit of their conversation they had when she goes to see him after the wedding (source):

Robbie: [Linda shows up for the first time after failing to marry him] You're late.
Linda: [sighs] I'm sorry... I just couldn't do it.
Robbie: Well, if you need more time, I guess I could wait.
Linda: No... I don't need more time, Robbie. I don't ever want to marry you.
Robbie: [takes a deep breath, sighs] Gee, you know that information... really would've been more useful to me *yesterday.*

I started reading the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. Good stuff. Today I got to the 3rd chapter in which he talks about making people want to do stuff. You don't talk or ask about what we want. We talk about what they want/need. Making them feel it's a win-win situation. But mainly talking about them. For example, you might need a job. Instead of phrasing it like that, you make the company feel your experience will be great for them. Obvious, right?

It makes a lot of sense. Yeah... I just wish I could have read the chapter *yesterday* or at least earlier... before I sent 2 emails in which I could have written things differently.

Reviving the Business

I am in wedding overload. About 2 weeks ago I got a review of our business. One of those things that just happen. My sister-in-law will be the maid of honor at a friend's wedding. She got to experience what other planners/florists offer and what we offer. She was just casually commenting about her friend and how she'll probably pick a hotel because of what they're offering. One thing led to another and she mentioned her point of view regarding our meeting with the bride vs another planner.

WOW! I admit I got upset. Not at the moment, but later on... while giving it too much thought. I started questioning everything I did or didn't do. Everything my partner did or didn't do. The works. After 2 days into my pitty party I got up and did what i do best: Google! I searched things related to wedding planning. Reading like if this was my first time. Nothing was too obvious for me. I was soaking up everything I could possibly learn. And now? Well I'm glad, I'm happy for what I heard. Because the good thing is I now know what I needed to improve. And I have this information thanks to a comment that stung!

I'm feeling motivated, and hopeful. I am looking at all the areas I can improve. I am researching different ways to network and promote ourselves. Only good things will come after this.

Wedding Wednesday - Budget

Perhaps the most important aspect of wedding planning is the budget. Most of us, do not have unlimited amount of money to make our dreams come true.

When you start planning your wedding, you might not have a clue about how much a wedding costs. And really, it can cost millions. So one suggestion is to ask for quotes. Some vendors charge for them but not all of them. If you like someone's work, ask for a quote. That will help you get an idea. If you feel comfortable with it, ask a friend how much she spent. Or maybe she can give you an insight of what she found out about the different vendors she interviewed.

When you do set your budget, be completely honest with ALL your vendors. Something I suggest is to make a list:cake, decor, invitations, food, music, etc. Then rate them from the most important ones to the least important ones. Once you know this you can allocate a bit more on, say the cake and less for invitations. By keeping it honest with everyone, including yourself, you can have less stress about having to pay more than you can afford or having to say no to those gorgeous centerpieces you fell in love with.

Wedding Wednesday - Dress

Sorry, I forgot again about Wednesday's wedding post!

Let's talk a little bit about your dress. No longer are they all white and princess like. Brides have a great range to choose from, which can make it overwhelming.

Usually, like the invitations, the dress goes with the type of wedding your having. But not necessarily. If you're read my past posts you might know that I think couples should do what they feel like, because after all it is their wedding. I don't agree with following whatever "rules" are out there.

One suggestion, when you go dress shopping do not take a lot of people. Lots of different opinion might sound like a good idea, but trust me, it isn't. What you do need is to feel spectacular in it! When I went dress shopping I only took one person. When I was down to 2, I took my parents. One dress was more "traditional" and the other wasn't. I figured my family would choose the all white one. Their reaction was: "It's pretty". Not what I was looking for. And when I tried on the second one, the were wowed! So, try something that you are not sure, but not too many. Who know if you find something else that looks good on you and that you like. Be upfront to the salesperson about your budget. You don't want to find "the dress" only to see the tag has more 0 than you can afford. Happy shopping.

Wedding Wednesday - Cake

Aaaahhhh, the cake. A masterpiece. It even has its own table and moment.

The wedding cake is one of the most seen details of the event. You can go as tall or low as you like, and it allows couple to get in touch with their creative side. No longer are they the same all white cakes that every wedding used to have. Cake bakers allow couples to create their own cake... a different flavor for each layer, very colorful, different shapes. Go online or research in magazines. Who knows, you might find something you like and never crossed your mind. But most importantly, taste samples before committing to a baker. The ideal vendor should have the right balance between taste AND aesthetics. You don't want to be disappointed when at the end you cut your beautiful cake and it tastes dry. Browse to the vendors portfolios and if possible ask for recommendations.

Enjoy the search... how can one complain about eating free cake?

Wedding Wednesday - Invitations

I will try my best to include a weekly post related to weddings. Here's my first.

Your wedding invitations give a hint of the overall look and feel of your wedding. It might show the colors or the theme. Will it be a black-tie affair or a destination wedding? Choosing them is an important task, but one that in my opinion, shouldn't cost a fortune. That is, unless your budget allows for it. Why you might ask? Because your guests will throw it away. I haven't met a person who collects wedding invitations, and some probably exist, but the average person will not keep it (except maybe for your mother).

There are beautiful creations that involve boxes, bottles, and everything you can imagine. But as beautiful as they are, so is their cost. Let's go practical. Choose one that reflects your style and the type of wedding you are having. When planning the budget for invitations keep in mind that the size could require additional postage. Also some changes in ink color and lining the envelopes will cost more.

For the crafty, you can make your own. Office supplies carry wedding invitations for you to print. Sure, the letters will not be embossed, but it will cost a fraction. Consider having guests RSVP online, and you can save on those envelopes. On average you will need half the invitations as your guest list. But try to have a detailed guest list when ordering. How many families, couples, and singles. Most invitations are sold in groups of 25, and if you happen to need more, the cost will be the same as creating a brand new order. In other words, it will cost more. And one last thing, always buy more envelopes than invitations. You want to have some spare ones in case you misspell some names.

She might love or hate flowers

I was wondering how much Pumpkin will love flowers. Growing up in a home where there are frequently hundreds of flowers being prepped, will she hate getting them?

When she has a boyfriend and he decided to bring her flowers, will she be like "Uggghh! Great! More freakin flowers!". Or will I be thinking: " That's cheap! or "they are not fresh"!. Maybe she'll beg me not to say anything. Or how about the kid being too pressured to please me Pumpkin that he'd rather give her something else.

At least now she enjoys them. She also enjoys shaking them until they break, so I'm not sure how to interpret that. But thank God we still have another 20 years to figure that out. OK, 18 years, whatever...

What I do hope is to not be a pushy mom, like some we've seen, and let her choose the most amazing flowers for her wedding. She might know so much about flowers that even with better prices it will end costing me a fortune. What if she wants to have tulips and stephanotis? Hopefully she will LOVE roses and much as I do.

My 2 cents as a Wedding Planner

I just created a blog for our wedding planner site. I figured it could be fun, and I hope I am not wrong. I even have a list of different topics, so I'm half way there. Today I decided that blogging could be my only productive action of the day (besides taking Pumpkin to get her shots). The question was, which topic do I start with? Flowers? Colors? Invitations? Dress? And it came to me, it should be much simpler than any of that. If I could only give you one advice, what would that advice be? And the answer is:
"Make your wedding about you, let it reflect what you are as a couple."

I've seen one too many brides choosing things because that is what mom wants, or that's the "in" thing to do... Not only as a wedding planner, but as a former bride, I want nothing but to see my dream wedding when I look at pictures 5 years from now. Was it me who really wanted a white/outdoor/big wedding? Choose colors that you really like. Want to wear a pink dress? Want to do a tango for your first dance? Want to skip the receiving line? Want to have a sundae bar instead of cake? Go for it! I would much rather go to a wedding where you can actually see and feel the couple's personality than go to a cookie cutter one. I've done both types of wedding. And trust me when I say, it is very clear which one the couple (and the guests) enjoy more.

Mommy is a Wedding Planner

After my wedding, almost 4 years ago, my best friend and me (or is it I?) decided to start an event planning business. We took a course and before we knew it we were planning our first wedding. It was a unique experience. Fun and stressful at the same time.

Planning a wedding is a very serious job. A couple is trusting you with the most important day of their lives... at least until something marvelous happens like having children? They are expecting that we will take care of every detail and create a wonderful, almost perfect day. No stress, this is a walk in the park! While we're at it, can I juggle a cake and favors while balancing my butt on a unicycle? Actually, that's sort of what happens.

We've been very fortunate to have worked with very lovely couples. It is so amazing to see the the bride smile teary eyed when I hand her the bouquet, the look in the couples face when they see the reception hall for the first time. But nothing compares to the feeling we get when at the end of the night the couple hug us and thank us for a perfect evening. If only they knew our flowers arrived late, that we had to cover part of the cake with those mentioned flowers because part of it was melting, that we called the DJ about 10 times because they wouldn't respond to our calls, and that the catering people really hate us for being so demanding.

Cheers to the happy couples. May you have a happy life together. And thanks for allowing us to be part of such a special day. It means the world to us.

About Me

Since this is the first post I figured I should talk a little bit about me. And that sounds narcissist.
I am a 28 year old (29 in 3 weeks!) Stay-at-Home mom with a 2 year old, Pumpkin. Of course that's not her real name but for now that's how will call her. Almost 4 years ago I married my college sweetheart. We recently moved to a new house. Well, not really new but new for us. More space means more cleaning. Fun!
JA (dear husband) started working for a big 'ol company 4 weeks ago and has already been on 3 business trips. Oh, and we are trying to conceive. With all his traveling this should be very easy.
With my best friend, I do some event planning in my spare time. It's been kinda slow these months but hopefully it will pick up soon.
This is my journal, where I will discuss how trying to balance everything is working out for me, anecdotes about Pumpkin and anything fun related to my brides.
Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride. I hope you enjoy and come back.