BEWARE OF BRIDAL SHOWS

Tis the Bridal Show season!!

I have had brides hire me after they have hired vendors. I always ask where they found those vendors...9 out of 10 say "A BRIDAL SHOW."

Some brides have hired these vendors right at the show....and haven't even sat down with them to talk....and then find out later that they really can't meet their needs.

A common misconception is that if a vendor is at a show, they must be the best.

Bridal Shows are NOT JURIED! You don't have to be good at your craft to be in a show, you just need to pay the fee associated with the booth!

Don't get me wrong -- some very fine vendors attend shows...you just need to make an appointment with them to sit down and talk about your expectations and find out if the vendor offers the services you want.

NEVER hire a vendor at the show itself....you don't have enough time at a show to interview the vendor properly.

Lets face it --- your wedding is in your vendors hands --- so you need to give the selection process the proper attention it deserves!

If you decide to go to a show -- here are some tips:

• Have address labels ready for the drawings otherwise you will be filling out your information 20 times!!!
• If you see a vendor with great work, get basic info and book an appointment at the show...DO NOT HIRE THE VENDOR AT THE SHOW! Sometimes you get a discount for simply making an appointment at the show.
  
• If you see a gown that you LOVE in the fashion show...make sure you write down the info about the dress, number, designer, etc. If you go to the salon a couple of weeks later and you don't have the info, they probably won' t remember what dress you are talking about.
• If you win a prize, make sure you collect the prize that day. If they tell you that you have to go to their business to collect the prize, make sure you get everything you won in writing. Depending on what you won, if they do not have it at the show is a RED FLAG!
  

Shows can be a lot of fun and very informative if you approach them with an open mind!!

Have a GREAT time !

A VISIT TO HIGH SCHOOL

Senior Picture ---- 1971



Since I have been "FACEBOOKING" I have been in touch with several of my high school classmates that I haven't seen since graduation in 1971!

Our 40th anniversary from school is approaching (2011) so being the planner that I am, I decided I am going to plan a reunion!!!

Three of the "girls" I graduated with and myself decided to meet for lunch and reunite....we had such a great time, and thankfully they offered to help me with this new project!! ha ha

In anticipation of our lunch, and of starting to plan this event, I called Good Old East High School and asked where I could get my hands on a year book. After getting put through to several extensions, I finally spoke with someone in the library who said they had one I could have . So off I went to this place where I had spent so much time many moons ago!

I parked my car and walked in the front door, where immediately the 38 years of changes hit me in the face..METAL DETECTORS monitored by ARMED (real guns!! ha ha) security officers!!!!

After going through security and signing in three different places in the main office, I was finally given a "HALL PASS."

I made my way to the stairs, and to the second floor ...as I walked down the hallway, I noticed that the hallway monitors of the 60's and 70's were also replaced by armed security officers!!

When I finally got to the library, I noticed it hadn't changed much.... except...... typewriters were traded in for flat screen computers, and it was a lot noisier than I remembered. After I got my year book, I struck up a conversation with the librarian who was a very nice "YOUNGER" woman. I was telling her the way things were during my 4 years at East.

She asked if I was interested in a tour of the building.....I jumped at the chance. Some areas such as the cafeteria, the offices, auditorium and courtyards looked as if time had not passed at all!

One thing I remembered that I always liked about East were all of the common areas....there were little area's throughout the school where you could just go and "HANG." Not so any more. There is a large window enclosed hallway type room in the middle of the school with window seats called the "COMMONS," that is now closed off except for during lunch when the seniors can go there. The rest of the day, it is used as a hallway, again, filled with security.

It was a bitter-sweet experience .......while so many memories flooded back, It was sad at the same time that the East High that I went to was no longer there!

PLANNING A WEDDING IS LIKE BUILDING A HOUSE!!

I cannot tell you how many times during my career that a bride comes to my office in tears and very upset because she is having a hard time getting everything done!!! Most of the time, there is a year or more before the wedding-----it makes me laugh, but at the same time I feel so bad that the planning phase of the most special day of your life is causing so much stress!

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?

The reason this happens is because you are looking at the ENTIRE PICTURE instead of breaking it down.

I plan between 15 and 20 weddings every year. If I looked at the entire picture of 20 weddings I would loose what is left of my mind! ha ha ha ha

There is an order you should follow to plan your wedding. I have an analogy that will help you
to start planning your wedding and stay on track without stressing out.

PLANNING A WEDDING IS LIKE BUILDING A HOUSE!! This analogy is on my website!! Print it out and follow it....You will find by breaking down the different parts of your wedding, you will actually enjoy planning your day!

I was watching "SAY YES TO THE DRESS" today! (Yes I watch wedding shows, and usually laugh or feel the planners pain!!! ha ha)

Today I felt the bride's pain! Her mom HATED every dress she tried on! In a different segment, the bride brought several people with her -- her mom, her future mother-in-law, sisters, girlfriends, Oh My God, there about 15 people....None of them liked the same dress, they tore this poor bride apart till she was sobbing!

I cannot tell you the number of times this has happened to me. I have accompanied brides to find their perfect dress.....besides me, they brought several people.....and chaos is always inevitable!

One bride loved a gown so much, and her mother went as far as to tell her that if she insisted on buying that particular dress, she was not attending the wedding.

As you can guess, she bought the dress of her mother's dreams and was very unhappy!

I can't tell you sad that makes me. Your dress is one of the most important purchases you will make for your wedding day.

I believe that if you are not happy with the way you look, even if everyone else loves the look, you will not feel beautiful and confident! Every time you look at your pictures for years to come, you will regret listening to everyone but YOURSELF!

I have put together a little guideline for you that may make gown shopping a little easier for you:

1. DO NOT bring a lot of people with you. Just bring a couple of people that will support you and not push their ideas on you. Someone who will be objective and supportive.

2. DO NOT venture out of your comfort zone on your wedding day. You want to look like yourself when you look in the mirror!! If you are not use to wearing low cut tops or strapless dresses, don't buy a low cut or strapless gown!

3. MOST IMPORTANT --- Follow your HEART and you will look FABULOUS on your wedding day!

Money Saving ideas....Flowers

MONEY -- MONEY -- MONEY!!! I think everyone is pretty sick of this recession -- especially if you are planning a wedding!!

All brides LOVE flowers and want them EVERYWHERE!! Flowers can eat up a big part of your budget if you are not careful!! I tell my clients when they go to the florist to pick out EVERYTHING they want -- THE SKY IS THE LIMIT -- once the proposal comes, try not to PASS OUT!! :) Seeing everything in black and white will help you decide which flowers are REALLY important and which ones you feel you can do without!

One place where I tell everyone they can save is at the ceremony! Having large arrangements on the alter sometimes just fade into the woodwork. The bride and groom are the decoration and where all guests eyes focus.

Arrangements large enough to be noticed will cost you $200.00 or more depending on the size and type of flowers.

I do agree you need some decoration in the church or ceremony site....my solution to this issue
is to decorate one focal point -- an arch, chairs, pews, pillars, etc.!

Saving money on ceremony flowers, will leave you more money to spend in other areas!

If you really don't like the look without a lot of flowers in the church or ceremony site...have your flowers designed with the reception in mind...then take everything from the ceremony site to the reception site.