trends
Let There Be Light!
Thursday, June 24th, 2010 | trends, Uncategorized | 2 Comments
We just received a shipment of 30 candelabras – and they’re SO pretty! We love them because they’re elegant & simple. They work really well with a more traditional decor – but I just love that they’re so streamlined they look fabulous with sleek & contemporary and everything in between.
We love using really large versions of these candelabras for the head table.
They’re a great & affordable way to add some drama – and also punctuate the head table.
Can there ever be too many candles?? We think not…let there be light…warm, glowy, flattering candlelight that is!!
Sex & the City 2 is such fun!
Thursday, May 27th, 2010 | media, travel, trends | No Comments
Went to see Sex & the City 2 last night…it was such fun…loved it!
The reviews are totally abysmal, I realize, but if you approach it with the right mindset you should really enjoy it. There’s a crazy over-the-top wedding which features Liza Minelli officiating.
There’s the ubiquitous SATC fabulous couture…and a LAVISH journey to Abu Dhabi. It’s worth watching just to see their suite!
A suite on the plane, chauffeur-driven Maybach, your own personal butler and a $22,000 a night suite – what more could one want on their Middle Eastern sojourn?
you MUST have cherry shoes!
Monday, May 3rd, 2010 | trends | No Comments
My mother-in-law had been shoe shopping and saw a pair of shoes that were totally me – and so we went shoes shopping on the weekend so I could try on these fabulous cherry shoes:
Unfortunately they no longer had my size…but I must say – they are indeed “me” – and much more fun than any shoes I’ve purchased recently.
In the end I managed to find a fun silver pair off the sale rack (yay!) which are also made by Poetic License:
I wore them to the office today…excellent way to start the week…in a fun & fabulous new pair of shoes…even more so when they were on sale.
Aren’t they cute?!?
The shoe box is so cute also I almost took a photo of it to post (I refrained).
“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.”
— Marilyn Monroe
Keep Calm & Eat a Cupcake
Thursday, March 25th, 2010 | trends | No Comments
Could these cupcake wrappers BE any cuter??!!?? We LOOOOOVE them. So much so Kim is practically inventing reasons to use them – friend’s birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, it’s Thursday! You name it…
www.mystylishwedding.com/store/favor-boxes/patterned-cupcake-wrapper
To be honest, for a while I was kind of sick of the whole cupcake thing – but these pretty little wrappers have rejuvinated my love for them. We’re always coming up with unique ways to present the cupcakes at the wedding or shower, but hadn’t thought of dressing up the individual cupcakes.
Some of them even have fun patterns on the inside…SO PRETTY…cupcake anyone?
Who’s Paying For All This Exactly??
Saturday, February 27th, 2010 | etiquette, trends | No Comments
One of our new clients mentioned that they were really stressed about figuring out who is supposed to pay for what at the wedding. This is a question that clients used to ask me ALL the time – but in the last 5 or 6 years it actually hasn’t come up very often, or only in regards to the rehearsal dinner or one small detail.
A good portion of our clients are paying for the wedding themselves so if their parents contribute any money it’s just a nice bonus, but when an engaged couple is counting on their families to pay for most or all of the wedding it can be a sticky topic for a number of reasons.
It’s rarely the case that both families have similar financial circumstances, and some families wish to stick to a very traditional division of costs where other families don’t have the slightest idea who is supposed to pay for what. All of these elements can conspire to cause the couple a lot of stress – even just bringing up the subject of the financial obligations can cause even the calmest couple some sleepless nights.
Traditionally, of course, the bride’s family assumed the burden of most wedding costs – probably a vestige of the practice of providing a large dowry to attract a good husband (!!). However, these days only about 25% of weddings are paid for solely by the bride’s parents.
Today, almost 70% of weddings are paid for either by the couple or by some combination of both sets of parents. It’s now VERY common for both families to share the costs equally, or for the bride and groom to pay for all of the expenses themselves.
If you do want financial help from your families to pay for the wedding, you must keep in mind you must be wiling to compromise on some of your wishes for your wedding. Although it can be a difficult subject to broach this subject with your parents – do your best to keep the conversation calm & dignified…it’s amazing how grievances that arise during the engagement can linger far past the actual wedding…whatever happens, whoever pays…just remember these people are going to be your family for the rest of your life so tread lightly!
If age-old tradition is ruling the financial structure of your wedding, here is the TRADITIONAL DIVISION OF COSTS from Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette:
The Bride & Her Family:
• services of a wedding consultant
• invitations, enclosures, announcements
• bride’s wedding gown & accessories
• floral decorations for ceremony & reception
• bridesmaids’ flowers
• bride’s bouquet
• formal wedding photos
• videographer
• music for church & reception
• transportation of bridal party to & from ceremony
• all reception expenses
• bride’s gifts to her attendants
• bride’s gift to groom
• groom’s wedding ring
• ceremony rentals
• cost of soloists
• transportation of bridal party to reception
• accommodations for bride’s attendants
• bridesmaids’ luncheon
The Groom & His Family:
• bride’s engagement ring
• bride’s wedding ring
• gifts for groom’s attendants
• ties for groom’s attendants if not part of rental package
• bride’s bouquet (in regions where this is the custom)
• bride’s going-away corsage
• boutonnieres for groom’s attendants
• corsages for immediate members of both families
• officiant’s fee or church donation
• transportation & lodging expenses for the officiant if required & invited to officiate by groom’s family
• marriage license
• transportation for groom and best man to ceremony
• honeymoon
• all costs of rehearsal dinner
• accommodations for groom’s attendants
• bachelor dinner (if groom wishes to have one)
• transportation and lodging for groom’s immediate family*
Bridesmaids/Honour Attendants:
• purchase of apparel and all accessories
• transportation to and from city where wedding takes place
• a contribution to a gift from bridesmaids to bride
• individual gift to couple (if being in the wedding is not the gift)
• shower/luncheon for bride
Ushers/Groomsmen/Best Man:
• rental/purchase of wedding attire
• transportation to and from city where wedding takes place
• a contribution to a gift from groomsmen to groom
• individual gift to couple (if being in the wedding is not the gift)
• bachelor party for groom
Out-of-town guests:
• transportation to & from wedding
• lodging expenses
• wedding gift
* just as a total aside – it always makes me crazy when I watch “Father of the Bride” and Diane Keaton tells Steve Martin they have to pay for all of the groom’s family to fly in from Denmark…NO!!! No you don’t!! Whether you’re following old traditions or new – or none for that matter – unless you happen to own an airlines…that would be just stupid…but artistic license I guess 
How Much is THAT Dress?? Will the Manolos Still Fit in My Budget?
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 | trends | No Comments
I had SOOO much fun wedding gown shopping with one of my brides. We started the process late last year and she bought “the one” late last week. 
Her initial appointments produced 3 main contenders – one that fit the budget, one that kind of, sort of fit the budget, and one “I think my heart just stopped” definitely, not even a little bit fit the budget.
She was very torn and didn’t know what to do so I joined her to go back & try on her favorites.
Of the first two I knew that one definitely wasn’t right – but the other could potentially be right…so off we went to see the oh-so-beautiful, but oh-so-not in her budget dress.
When we walked in the store I audibly gasped…good grief Lisa…have some self-control. It’s been a long time since I saw a wedding dress that made me totally lose my composure…uh oh!
However I did know that – although I was with her 110% on the amazing, unique, killer dress…I also knew it wasn’t the right one for her…so I did a little peak around the store to see what was new & fabulous since I was last there…and BAD, BAD wedding planner grabbed one that made us both gasp. She even asked me to try it on so she could see it on someone else (but not just in the photo on the website) – I never really expected to have a wedding dress on again – and boy, it sure was fun! It made my day to spend a few minutes in an exquisite work of art made of sumptuous fabric…better than a quick trip to the spa…haha!
I had to admit to her that I was very torn – my wedding planner sensibilities were saying NO, NO, NO because it was way too much of her total budget – but I also knew how GORGEOUS she’d look in it and how much she wanted it…
My bride ruminated over the holidays and I sent her out for a whole new round of dresses last week…well she hadn’t even made it out of the change room when her maid of honour called me to COME IMMEDIATELY…”We think we’ve found the one!!”
Well I jumped in my car and sure enough it was, indeed, the one. This gorgeous European confection of silk and lace was nothing like the dress she thought she would want (which is so often the case with wedding gowns) but once she had it on – it absolutely ticked all the boxes…AND…as the sample fit and was in perfect shape…there’s no need to panic about those sassy, sexy, sparkly Louboutins breaking the budget…and after all…aren’t the shoes the only part of a bride’s wedding attire she’ll realistically ever wear again anyway?? 
Say Cheese
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 | trends, weddings | 1 Comment
One of our brides emailed me yesterday to inquire about having a photobooth at her wedding…we LOVE photobooths…Your guests have a great time (especially after a few cocktails!) and both you & they get a wonderful momento that will be fun to have for years to come. They can be customized with your monogram, to match your colour palette and have your names & wedding date and any message you want for your guests…so fun…Say Cheeeeeese!
Sexy & Snowy Winter Wedding
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 | trends, weddings | No Comments
This was an intimate weekend-long wedding in the mountains. The very stylish couple wanted sleek and unique but still low key. Their paramount priority was making sure that all their guests felt comfortable and that they’d have a good opportunity to visit with everyone.
The ceremony was decked out in white flowers, white fabric and crystals with accents of black (including the fabulous wedding gown)…and a gorgeous view of the mountains.
Cocktails were in an intimate setting flooded with candlelight and all of their guests were greeted with a Mojito.
Great lighting created a cool ambience. The linens were simple black on black and each table had groupings of monochromatic red or white flowers…so pretty…and the food was superb!
Irish & Italian Intoxicating Fun!
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 | trends, Uncategorized, weddings | No Comments
To say working with Natalie & Joe was fun in an understatement! We had just under three months to plan a wedding that would reflect their enthusiasm and sunny personalities. We kept the decor simple for the ceremony as we wanted the reception to have more WOW!
And did it ever WOW! Classic chocolate brown was brought to a whole new level with punches of orange and tiffany blue. Everything about this wedding was big bold, and fun. From the 20 person head table, to the martini luge, to the candy buffet unlike any of us had ever seen before!
We kept the overall feeling classy by having simple and elegant centerpieces, monogram and cake design.
After the honeymoon Natalie & Joe stopped by to tell me what a wonderful time they had! I can honestly say that we had the best time too!
Black & White Damask accented with Deep Red & Hot Pink
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 | trends, weddings | No Comments
This was a lovely intimate wedding – it was elegant & fashion forward – but still timeless. Sonya & Travis both have a passion for James Bond (note his VERY stylish, VERY 007, Armani tuxedo) 
and wanted touches of glamour, touches of fashion…but I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be design that would look totally dated 10 years from now.
Sonya REALLY wanted a croquembouche…it was ridiculously difficult to convince anyone to make one (who actually had the skill to make one). After many months of tenacious pestering I got a great bakery to create one for their wedding day. About half way through dinner it got bumped and a couple cream puffs came out at the bottom. Kim & I kept looking at it nervously…when I decided we should take the “croquembouche plucking”/cake cutting photos even though they were in the middle of their entrees…just as I leaned over to tell the bride we need to do a photo right away…you guessed it…it collapsed. It was promptly whisked into the kitchen and with many toothpicks, plastic containers and various other sundry it was repaired. The bride & groom decided it will be one of their favourite wedding anecdotes. 
Let them eat cream puffs!
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