Blissful Events: ...and the Bride wore Fuchsia!

Many thanks to Jennifer Belkus Goolkasian from Aphrodite Wedding Photos for sharing these great photos from Christina and Steve's September 4th 2010 wedding!

 

You may remember that this was the weekend of much feared end-of-summer hurricane "Earl". Well, Earl wimped out and his presence left no impact on this day! It ended up being 80 degrees on Steep Hill Beach in Ipswich MA- and a perfect afternoon for a festive casual beach wedding!

Christina and Steve lead their guests to the beach...

 (I love to officiate barefoot ceremonies)

 

 

...and then back up to the tent for casual summer fare 

by the crew at Ipswich Clambake Company.

  

 Beach towels and sand toys for the kiddos made perfect wedding favors!

Why have only one cake? C&S chose seven favorite flavors 

and presented them on collected and borrowed cake stands.

 It was truly a perfect end of summer celebration for two really cool people!

 

 

So, what DO you do? A Wedding Planner's real job description

Quite often during consultations with prospective clients, I am asked a series of questions along the lines of "So, will you hand out vendor payments on the wedding day" or "will you have an emergency kit with you" and I just want to let out a little snicker. Yes, of course I'll do those things. That kinda goes without saying.  Every single wedding day is different and each has it's own interesting list of job descriptions. I figured I'd take a moment to make a list of things that we have done for our clients on the wedding day that may not be on those "Questions to ask your Wedding Planner" lists!

1. Unusual Clean Up
I have had the pleasure of sweeping up piles of money from the floor during and following the first dance at a Greek Wedding.  If you have never swept up money, it's more difficult than you'd expect- especially on a humid August evening.

2. Emergency Seamstress Duties Far Beyond Button Replacement
I once had to sew a Father of the Bride into his Tuxedo after drastic weight loss due to his Wedding-at-Home-Dad duties. Poor Dad must have dropped 3 pant sizes from last minute mowing, weeding, clipping, painting and mulching.  Also, I've had to completely re-attach the bottom half of a wedding gown when it was stepped on and detached at the waist during a particularly spirited HORA.

3. Can you say Cake Disaster? Yup, I guess I am also a wedding cake designer.

4. The Heavy Lifting.
-Bride: "We are fine with re-using the ceremony chairs- we have a group of guy friends that will be happy to move those 150 wooden folding chairs off the beach and into the tent."  Right- as soon as the bar opens, moving those chairs become less of a priority...

5.  Bustle The Gown-or should I say, REPAIR The Bustle 
I've seen them up to 50 points (no joke) and have had to McGyver many. Forget the needle and thread- I have used electrical tape when needed.

6. Take over as Shuttle Driver
Guess who gets to take over when the 17-year-old next door that you asked to drive in circles decides he has a better offer for Saturday night than driving a 14 passenger Econoline van around the cul-de-sac.  

7. Shuttle Driver part 2
Ok, ok, packing 8 handsome and tuxedoed groomsmen in my 4 wheel drive and transporting them off-road to a pristine lakefront photo op wasn't my worse day at the office!

8. Child Care Provider
Running interference with two 4-year-olds who think knee-slides across the dance floor headlong towards the table supporting a 5 tiered wedding cake is the BEST.THING.EVER.

9. Electrician
Fun times with Portable Generators- Are these things supposed to throw flames out the back like those "Funny Cars" you see on The Speed Channel?  

10.  Helping Hands
And finally-my favorite Mother of the Bride utterance of all times- "Melanie, can you help me pull up my Spanx?"

:)

Grace Ormonde Book Launch- "being in love never goes out of style"

Over the Summer, Blissful Beginnings had the pleasure of coordinating the Northern New England launch party for Grace Ormonde's gorgeous new book, "being in love never goes out of style."

The party was hosted by the wonderful Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine.  The magical event was held under a Sperry Tent overlooking the Kennebunk River.  

It was a perfect summer evening for a celebration with a distinctive New England vibe!

 Grace Ormonde greeted attendees with a passion for her beloved wedding industry, and celebrated the labors of local and regional vendors.

   

 Guests enjoyed delicious Custom Cupcakes by Flour! Flowers and Sweets

Grace signs a copy of "being in love never goes out of style" for Jacques Depres from Jacques Pastries

Other fabulous wedding vendors who helped to set the scene for the celebration include:

 

Rentals Unlimited,

 Minott’s Flowers

CA Smith Photography

Chris and Cyndi Smith

Rockwell Productions

Jeff Rockwell

Goldenwood Ensembles

Elegant Music for Weddings and Events

Dulcinea Violin Duo

Vodka Provided by Cold River Vodka

American Ballroom Dance Academy

Grace's Hair and Makeup

Joanne McDonough- Joya Beauty

Lena Hartford- Hair that Moves

The event highlights were captured on this great video produced by Bruce Cullen of  

Dream Images Real Life Motion Pictures.

Consulting Services for Venues and Vendors

Did you know that Blissful Beginnings offers consulting services to Wedding Vendors and Venues?
How do your services compare to other local providers?  What are brides and grooms in New England looking for? Are you showcasing your service or venue's most desired attributes? 

At Blissful Beginnings, we find ourselves in the unique position of not only planning and designing weddings, but also becoming a combination of confidante, accountant and therapist to our wedding clients.  In an age where the flood of information that wedding couples encounter is staggering, we spend a large portion of the planning process helping clients weed through the flood of photos, blogs, boards and numbers and find out what they really want for their big day!

With nearly fifteen years of experience planning and coordination over 500 New England Weddings of all sizes and budgets, we can  bring our expertise in understanding "The Bridal Brain" to your company. Contact Melanie Voros to discuss Vendor Consultation Services for your wedding business.

Proofreading Wedding Invitations!!!

I feel it necessary to post a reminder about proofreading, proofreading and PROOFREADING wedding invitation orders or DIY invitations!

Recently, I was creating a custom seating chart and wedding programs for a client and I asked for a copy of her wedding invitation so I could match the fonts and colors.   The Bride was happy to send me a copy of the invitation and was proud to say that the Groom had actually designed and printed them... Wonderful!  Until I saw this:

"First Congregational Church
ninty-eight Main Street"

Aww snap...ninty-eight? Not ninety-eight?

200 of those bad boys had already been sent out.

Last week I found this one...I was addressing 100 invitations for another client and this is how the ceremony time was written out.


"at four thirty o'clock in the afternoon"

These were ordered by a local gift shop from a national retailer and got past both of them.  I have never asked anyone to meet me for a cup of coffee at four thirty o'clock. Ugh.

Now, I am far from an English teacher, but I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to wedding invitations.  Whatever the budget- a simple, nicely worded and cleanly addressed wedding invitation is the goal.  Hand calligraphy or typeset matched addressing is preferable, but above all SPELLING and GRAMMAR are most important!

Everyone makes mistakes, so please save yourself embarrassment or reprint costs by proofreading and having a friend or family member triple check everything before you OK a proof.  ALWAYS ask for a proof, even if it costs you a few extra bucks.  Professional stationers are used to working with wedding invitation wording etiquette and are typically a much better choice than online "fill in the blank" invitation retailers or going the DIY route.

I hope there aren't too many grammar and spelling errors in this post! :)

Event Design-The Vibe

Event Design is all about reflecting on the style of the couple and pleasing the senses. When you are creating your design plan, think about all of the elements of your event. Most often couples automatically think primarily about the visual elements, the look. But there are 4 other senses to take into consideration as well: taste, touch, smell and sound. By taking some time focusing on all of these pieces of the event design puzzle, you will create the total picture, or the VIBE that best reflects your true style!

Some examples of Sensory Elements:

The Sight-use of Color, Symmetry, Formality, Richness

The Taste- Food and it's presentation can feel Seasonal, Ethnic, Regional...

The Smell- The ocean and an open grill smells like summer to me! The aroma of a delicious cappuccino warms you up on a cool night...

The Sound- Classical, Big Band, Rock, Smooth Jazz or World Music sets the mood for Relaxing, Dancing, or Socializing.

 The Touch/Feel- Warm, Soft, Ethereal, Lush

 

When designing your event, explore all of the senses to create a complete experience for your guests.