A Message To All Brides

Congratulations on getting engaged! Now comes the fun (but complex) task of planning your dream wedding. The best and most important piece of advice I can give you is this: Don't wait to start planning your wedding. There is much more to a wedding than the cake, flowers, and the dress. Those are things that people remember from your wedding. But, How will the cake get from the baker's to the venue? How much will it cost to have the flowers delivered and who's going to meet the florist when they get there? Where is the best place to get your dress fitted and altered if necessary? All of these logistical questions any many many more MUST be addressed and answered before your dream wedding can take place. One of the worst things you could possibly do is procrastinate

What concerns me is when brides start comparing their wedding planning process to other brides that they know. "Well, my cousin Jill planned her wedding in 7 months and it turned out fine. So, I'm going to wait to start planning my wedding till about that time." No. No, No, No,....and NO.
Everyone's wedding is different. Everyone's wedding plans will face different challenges. The more time you have to address these inevitable challenges the easier and LESS STRESSFUL the whole planning process will be. And this is very important to understand especially if you are planning the wedding yourself. Twelve months out is a must!

A large part of the necessity of having a longer planning period has to do with the vendors. I've said it before that you should start looking for venues for your wedding ASAP. Wedding and Reception venues get booked up over a year in advance. I know a woman that booked her wedding venue BEFORE she had a groom. There was a 2 year waiting list for the chapel she wanted to have her dream wedding in. So she picked a date and booked it. Luckily for her the most amazing man entered her life at just the right time.
Even some florists get booked over a year in advance. I was at A Floral Affair yesterday when a bride entered inquiring about prices for bouquets. The showroom hostess asked what the date of the wedding was. The bride said it was next November. The hostess said "Let me check if that date is available." Yes you read that right, NEXT NOVEMBER.
And sometimes, things just go wrong that are out of your control. For example, the wedding I planned for Shawn and Robert Jordan. We booked the caterer in plenty of time. They had the menu picked out and everything. Then a few months before the wedding, the caterer went out of business. We had to scramble to find a new one who was available for their wedding date. But, we had time to do that. You know why??? Because we were on schedule with everything else. Because we started early.

So, please please please for the sake of your sanity and the sanity of those who are helping you in this process.... Don't put this off. The last thing I want to see is a bride stressing 3 weeks before her wedding about something that could have been taken care of 3 months ago.

My excuse.....Disney.

Hello Everyone,
I apologize for neglecting my blog for a month. Everything has gotten a bit crazy with trying to get Andrea and Jason starting on their wedding preparations, traveling to and from Columbia, SC, and a great week long trip to Disney World! Visiting Disney is like visiting a second home for me. There are so many amazing people that I met while I lived and worked there. Going to the parks, staying with the friends I traveled down with, and visiting all my Florida people was a balancing act of epic proportions. I needed two days just to recover!

 
But besides this trip being jam packed, it was also extra special. My friends that I traveled with, Shawn and Robert Jordan, got engaged during the fireworks at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on October 15th 2010. This was their first trip back to Disney since then so it was a two year anniversary of sorts. In preparation for this trip Athene Jordan, whom is an excellent seamstress and a very good friend, did the costumes for the group. They were fantastic! And I tried some great new additions to the Food and Wine Festival in EPCOT. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better trip.

Every time I visit Disney my favorite part is the same: I love discovering the things I never noticed before. And believe it or not.... it always happens! Now, I know what you are thinking..... "What about Splash Mountain?!, Space Mountain?!, and Pirates of the Caribbean?!" Of course, there are some fantastic rides and attractions but I think that there is more magic in the details. Disney in general, has always amazed me with their creativity and meticulous attention to detail. I think that because of my background at Disney I look for and enjoy the small details more than the average guest.  For example: Did you know that the iconic fountain in front of the big EPCOT ball actually dances to music every fifteen minutes? It's like a choreographed fireworks show but with water. Most people breeze right by it on their way to Sorin' or Test Track but it is one of my favorite things. In EPCOT I also enjoy sitting outside the little bakery in France eating a cream brulee just watching the people go by. And going through all the parks looking for "Hidden Mickey's" is always fun.
Side note: Part of the new Fantasyland expansion just opened. In one word: Incredible
 
 Well, there is my excuse. It's a lot better than "My dog ate my laptop." I will be returning to my regular blog posts starting..... NOW. So you have some event planning insights, new recommendations, and updates on the Maroun/Spiskey wedding to look forward to!
~Rachael