Wedding Day Emergency Kits

As Wedding Season starts back up again here in Arizona, It’s time to freshen up those Wedding Day Emergency Kits so you can be prepared for anything!

Whether you use a tackle box, a craft kit or a suitcase, here are some necessary items to keep you prepared for any wedding day emergency.

• Batteries
• Camera
• Candles
  • tapers
  • votives
  • Candle Snuffer
  • Unity stand
• Candy
  • Hard candy
  • Mints
  • Coughdrops
  • Gum
• Cell Phone Charger
• Décor supplies
  • Silk Petals
  • Pipe Cleaners
  • Wire
  • Scissors
  • Wirecutters
  • Staplegun/staples
• First Aid Kit
  • Antiseptic wipes
  • Benadryl
  • Tums
  • Pepto bismol
  • Immodium
  • Pain relievers
  • Band-Aids
• Flashlight
• Hair Supplies
  • Brush
  • Comb
  • Hairties
  • Asstd Bobby pins
  • Hairspray/gel)
• Extension Cords
• FoodWrap/ Foil
• Garbage Bags
• Hand lotion
• Hand sanitizer
• Handkerchiefs
• Lint Brush
• Matches/ lighter
• Mirror
• Pantyhose
• Paper towels
• Parking Cones
• Pens
  • calligraphy
  • ballpoint
  • Sharpie
• Q-tips
• Reserved Signs
• Ribbon
  • White
  • Ivory
  • Assorted
• Lingerie tape
• Rubber bands
• Rubber gloves
• Sewing kit
  • Hem tape
• Shout pen
• Sheet or shower curtain
  • White for photos
• Smelling Salts
• Steamer/iron
  • Static Guard
  • Downy WrinkleReleaser
• Personal Care supplies
  • Blotting papers
  • Chapstick
  • Contact lens fluid
  • cotton balls
  • Deodorant (spray
  • Dental picks
  • Earring backs
  • Eye Drops
  • Razor (disposable)
  • Mouth wash
  • Sanitary products
  • Toothbrush- mini/
  • toothpaste
• Pins
  • Corsage
  • Boutonniere
  • Asstd Safety pins
• Music
  • Mp3
  • cd of wedding music
• Straws
• Sunscreen
• Tape
  • Duct Tape (white)
  • Electrical Tape
  • Glue Guns
  • Glue
  • Superglue
• Tissues
• Trash Bags
• Take home containers
• Tuxedo props
  • black tie
  • pocket square
  • cufflinks/studs
• Makeup supplies
  • Nail files
  • Nail Polish clear
  • Lipstick-samples
  • Powder
  • Perfume samples
• Toys
  • Coloring books
  • Crayons
  • small toys
• Umbrella
• Velcro circles
• White Chalk
• Wedding Necessities
  • Cake cutter
  • Flowergirl Basket
  • Garter
  • Guest book/ Pen
  • Ringbearer pillow

Summer Weddings in Arizona

I am constantly asked how I get through June with all of the June Weddings by friends and associates across the country; but while being a June Bride in most of the country is preferable, June is when things really slow down in Arizona.

Summer in Arizona can be miserable with it’s hundred and umpteen degree weather and vicious monsoons that are preceded by enormous dust ‘haboobs’ that literally cover miles and miles of landscape and homes with a thin fine layer of dust. So why, you ask,  would anyone want to get married in Phoenix in Arizona?

The cost for one. Prices for ballrooms and sleeping rooms are extraordinarily priced during the summer months. Many of the resorts have ‘stay-cation’ deals that can’t be beat! $79 to $129 a night for 3 and 4 star resorts can be found. These deals allow your guests to have a mini-vacation as well as just attending your wedding. Multiple Pools, Waterparks, Waterslides and lazy rivers are typical of many Arizona Resorts, so your guests can keep cool and have fun in the desert.

Ballrooms are air-conditioned, Churches and Temples are air-conditioned and Limos and Cars are air-conditioned, so really there is very little time you need to be outside. But, since many resorts slow down here in the summer, they are willing to work some deals for you to host your event. When booking your event, find out from the event coordinator on staff when you can save a little money rather than where you can cut costs. If you can be a little flexible with your date, you can save money on your location and have a little more left in your budget for more flowers or decorations.

Speaking of flowers! When sitting down for your floral consultation for a summer wedding, keep in mind that most flowers prefer a cool wet environment. Listen to your florist and let him or her guide you to flowers that are hardier in a harsher climate. Choose flowers that are going to hold up longer than just the ceremony. Silk flowers are also an option, but I personally love to see a bride with fresh flowers. The aromatherapy alone makes it easier to walk up the aisle.

Many other vendors also love to book events in the summer, so sometimes you can get a little better deal on a DJ or a photographer or planner. Or you can upgrade to a more expensive service because of their summer specials.

Try cooling down your event with cool colors. Blues and greens and soft lavenders give an illusion of a cooler space, so instead of blanketing your event in Sunset Orange and Cardinal Red, try Ocean Blue with a beach theme, or Pale Celadon Green with Manzanita tree centerpieces to give a cool forest feel.

All in all, be prepared for the heat, listen to the professionals, and save a little money by having an Arizona Summer wedding!

Digital event design

Planning with the aid of the internet has been amazingly helpful!

After meeting my client at the park where she would be holding her daughter’s first birthday, most of the rest of our correspondence was done digitally.

She posted her ideas on Pinterest which I love! She would let me know when she had updated her ‘boards’ and I would create the items and email her photos of them so that she could OK them or ask me to make adjustments.

During the setup, I messaged her photos of how everything was turning out and her response was “Love it!!!!!!!”

Then before I left the park, I posted the pictures immediately to Facebook. No more waiting to do my advertising! Amazing what we can accomplish on the internet.

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Navy, the subtle difference.

Strangely, the question I get asked most about weddings is: “What colors are popular this year?”

I always hesitate to answer with just one color, because on any given Saturday, I might do three or four weddings all with a different color scheme.  However, one trend I am seeing is a difference in ‘base color’.

For many years, black and white were the two most dominant base colors, or shades in this case. Then a few years ago, there was a shift to brown and ivory. This natural change in trends showcased the rest of the spectrum of colors in a softer less dramatic way.

This year, I have noticed the trend for a base color swinging towards Navy. Navy gives the clean crisp feel that black does, but with a bit of brightness that makes the colors it is coupled with more opulent and intense. What is great about Navy is that it is a natural pairing for a wide variety of colors. Imagine Navy and Tiffany for an elegant evening wedding, or Navy and Poppy gold for a crisp nautical bridesmaid’s luncheon.

Depending on the shade of pink, from pastel through fuchsia, you can generate  all different sorts of ambiance.

A few words of caution when using navy;

·         It can look like a sports teams colors

o   Instead of just adding orange, use shades of orange, peach and rust for a less traditional fall feel

·         It can look very military

o   Use silver instead of gold if this is a concern

o   Add a pastel pink, celadon or ivory with gold as a lighter twist

·         It can look patriotic

o   Use multiple shades of reds and burgundy to the floral design instead of one shade of red

·         It can have Christmas undertones

·         Use the right shade of navy so it doesn’t look ‘muddy’

I only add the words of caution so that you won’t fall into any of these occasions, but there are so many ways to make it a cheerful option to the traditional black.

Some of my favorite colors to use with Navy are Lime, Tiffany, Ocean, any shade of pink, and amethyst.

So be creative, think out of the box and try Navy as a base color. I think you’ll be happily surprised at the result.

25th Anniversary Party

Just because you’re planning a 25th Anniversary doesn’t mean everything needs to be Silver! This past weekend we designed a Silver anniversary with a lot more color. Instead of having silver be the base color, we used it as an accent, opting for Black and Purple with a touch of platinum as our linens and added white and purple flowers accented with bling!

There were  7 different centerpieces, but by using the same colors ( white and purple) and accenting them all with touches of silver, we were able to bring spots of lightness into the small room while giving it more points of interest. One of the centerpieces even sported a tiara!

Don’t be afraid to try different ideas to dress up what might otherwise be an ordinary event. It’s nice to be surprised by the unexpected design. It gives your guests even more to talk about!

The Value of Bridal Shows

Some days I feel as if I am at a bridal show or open house every week and the tendency to feel like I am wasting my weekends and spare time creeps up on me, so I need to remind myself why I do it.

First I have to think of the exposure. In ‘wedding world’ there is only so far that print advertising can get you. I’m not demeaning print advertising at all by the way, but I think of print advertising as the front door to my business, and the exposure of a bridal show or open house as me opening the door so that my future clients can meet me face to face and feel that they already know somebody when they actually do walk in the front door of my store. This type of exposure is priceless in the age of internet search and text conversations. I believe that by taking the time to meet clients face to face, if only for a few seconds, at a show helps to personalize your business in a de-personalized world.

Second, it exposes me to other vendors, caterers, hotels and resorts, not only giving me a few minutes to renew acquaintances and friendships with other people in the industry, but to also create new referrals and potential clients from within the industry.

At this past weekend’s bridal show, I had several planners that came through our booth and said, “I had no idea you did flowers too!”  The third value of these shows is the chance to actually show off the talents, goods and services that we offer instead of just telling people. It also gives us the opportunity to show off fun designs and ideas that perhaps we haven’t had a chance to sell yet. Brides all have an idea of what they want, but if you have the opportunity to actually show it to them, you already have them sold. You might even have the opportunity to show them an affordable or easy to implement option they hadn’t thought of before.

And as much as I dread an upcoming show or open house, after it’s over, I feel revitalized and excited about my job and my industry. So remember, the value of a bridal show is much more than just handing out literature. It’s a way to get your face out to the public and the industry an getting a chance to show off what you’re best at so that you can become the person that everyone says, “I’ve heard about you!”

Flowers : The Language of love

Bashful, refined purity

Flowers : The Language of love

For centuries, flowers have been a way for men to show their love or at least amorous inclinations on Valentine’s day. But did you know that there is a lot more to flowers than just their beauty and fragrance? Each flower , green and sometimes even the color of the flower, was given a meaning in the Regency and Victorian eras of English society so that people could subtly tell each other how they felt. Yellow roses spoke of jealousy while white roses spoke of purity. Pink roses suggested the beginnings of love while red roses meant true love. Even the size of the roses meant something. Rose in bud form meant the beginning of a relationship or even ‘nice to make your acquaintance’ , while half blown (half open) roses meant that things were definitely beginning to heat up. Full blown roses signified that love was in full bloom and maybe even that an engagement was imminent.

But roses weren’t the only flowers that had meaning. Sometimes a mixed bouquet could say many things at all at once just by how the flowers  and greenery were chosen. Some traditional meanings of typical wedding flowers are:

Alstromeria: Devotion

Carnation: Pure passionate love

Chysanthemum: Cheerfulness

Delphinium : Heaven

Ferns: Fascination

Freesia: Innocence

Gardenia: Joy

 Ivy: Fidelity

Heather: Beauty ( also considered lucky in Ireland and Scotland)

Lilac: Youthful innocence

Lily: Sweetness, purity, splendor

Orchids: Refinement

Peony: Bashful

Ranunculus: Charm

Statice: Remembrance

Stephanotis: Happiness in Marriage

Sweet pea: Delicacy

 As an example, a bouquet of roses, stephanotis,  alstromeria and ivy  would have the meaning of Devoted love, fidelity and a happy marriage. So when you sit down with one of our florists  to design your bouquet, think about what it means as well as how you want it to look. It will give more dimension and meaning to your wedding and give you something to talk about for years to come.

Celebrating ‘Change of Life’ Events

I think the most important events in our lives are the ones that are proof of a ‘change of life’. No, I don’t mean menopause! I mean specific events that show the growth into the next phase of our life. Births, Baptisms, Birthdays, Graduations etc are all momentous occasions that we mark with a celebration.

I pause on this thought today, because my oldest child is about to turn twenty-one and instead of having Mom make the plans, She is doing everything on her own. For me, her twenty-first birthday only proves that I am aging faster and that soon she will be leaving my nest. For her it’s the completion of childhood and the new beginning that is her adulthood. Therefore, it’s more than just a party, it’s a cause for a momentous celebration!

Quinceaneras, Mitzvahs and Weddings are some of the more joyous of the change of life events. Huge festivities surround these events and sometimes last days at a time. From becoming an adult in the eyes of the community to becoming a family, the events that show our personal and community growth are always cause for a grand celebration.

If we look into the photo album of our lives, the most and best photos are of these change of life events. We pay a photographer to come in and photograph our senior portraits and weddings, but we don’t hire a professional photographer for Fourth of July celebrations or Christmas. These are annual events instead of Change of Life events, and they don’t hold the same impact on our day to day lives that something like a wedding or funeral would.

Yes, Funerals are change of life events. And these days I am seeing them as celebrations of the life of our loved ones rather than as the sad, morose events of the past. I believe this healthy celebration helps people deal with a tragic event easier and gives them the opportunity to say all of the things they didn’t or couldn’t before.

So from birth to death and all of the Change of Life events in between; Celebrate!

“But I don’t want a Theme Wedding!’

Recently I asked one of my brides what the theme of her wedding was. She adamantly told me that she was not interested in a ‘Theme Wedding’.
After a quick explanation that ‘THE’ theme and A ‘Theme‘ were two different things, she told me about her vision and how she wanted the event to look.
The theme of the wedding is like the melody of a song. A ‘Theme’ would be like the words of a song.
The theme (or melody) of the event is the way the decor fits together and sets the mood of the event. Crisp white linens with apple green napkins and green viburnum in glass vases is still a theme. It’s just not the traditional ‘Theme‘ as most people see it. It gives a feeling, sets the tone of the event and creates an environment that underlies an event rather than modifies it. ‘A Theme‘ on the other hand can be more picturesque, and tell a story rather than create a mood. A Cinderella wedding or a Renaissance wedding are themes that use the ‘words’ of the song to tell a story.
So don’t be afraid of talking about your theme. It can be as simple as your color choices or the lighting you have chosen, and if you do choose to have a ‘Theme’, enjoy it~ It can be like a toy that you play with or a puzzle with many parts that seem to keep adding up.
Either way, make it yours and remember to take a moment to enjoy the song.