Desiree Russo

How to carry out your wedding theme

2010-06-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

When you begin thinking about your wedding what do you visualize? Your colors, the flowers, your bridesmaids gown? Most likely, you see all the images that have been running in your mind since you were 4 years old. Those images may vary as you move through the process of planning your wedding. If you keep a journal of your thoughts, you can determine what you will and what you will not be willing to compromise on as your wedding elements take place. Deciding early on what parts of the wedding are most important will help you create a unified look.

To brand your wedding succesfully, it is always best to start with one element of your wedding that you are definately not willing to compromise on, such as your flowers or bridesmaids gowns, and develop from there. Example: If you have chosen pink and brown for you rwedding colors, but after looking at invitaions and their designs, you realize you MUST have the one with the green ribbon, you realize you are willing to make some adjustments in order to have that choice. If you can be more flexible with your fabrics, flowers and/or linens, for instance, you decide to make different choices in order to have that MUST have invitation.

Every element of your wedding shoulf tie back into your theme and the colors you have selected- even your wedding website (if you have one) If you want to improve your chances of matching your theme, try to choose a website service that allows you to select from a wide variety of schemes and templates. Or if you can take it one step further and work with a provider that will allow you to work with your own schemes like WeddingWindow.com, you can match your colors exactly! You will also want to try to find imagery that ties in with your theme. For example, if your having a beach wedding, you may want to incorporate water or beach images into your website. If you are having a city wedding, you may want to have a skyline shot. Either way, if you can include images that include the two of you, you will not only carry the theme of your wedding through to your website but also add the personal touch that reflects the two of you and no one else.

2010 wedding window

Ana & Miguel's Wedding

2010-04-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Pre wedding pictures taken at Brand Library.

Wedding Ceremony and Reception location were at Castaways in Burbank.

Manzanita Trees were the focal point of the canterpieces.

Placecards/Favors doubled as holders for their guests pictures that were taken in the photobooth!

Photobooth provided by Socal Shutterbooth.

Thank You Ana and Miguel for letting me be a part of your special day! It was truely an amazing night that I hope neither of you will ever forget!

New Couple

2010-02-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

Well I am proud to Announce my New Couple.....Shayna and Dustin, they are getting married in June! I have been good friends to Shayna for about 10 yrs now. I knew she was close to getting engaged because she would ask me questions about my website and someother wedding questions. In January she approached me and let me know she was going to be getting married and needed my help. Of course I am going to help it's what I do! We visited venues (6) to be exact before finding THE ONE! The wedding is going to be held in Pasadena at Castle Green, it is a historical location. January has been a busy month of getting alot of the planning done. We were able to book the venue, book the photographer, schedule the meeting with the florist, the invitations are being made, the DJ is a friend so he is on board, ordered THE DRESS! Needless to say there has been alot going on plus I help another florist at his store a couple days a week. I love weddings and all the details that come along with them, I am glad I am able to be there for friends and make sure their day turns out just as they expect it to!

Weddings

2010-02-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

Melanie & Alex

Amber & Mauricio

Along with the Santa Barbara wedding I have 2 day of coming up. One in March the other the beginning of June. The funny thing about these two weddings is how they are kind of related to each other. The first one that is in March, I was referred to by the florist I worked with on the Santa Barbara wedding. So we had just been emailing wach other until last month when we met in person so I could get some of the wedding onfo from her and go over a few details. Well she is on Facebook, have I mentioned how much exposure I get from facebook! Anyway so I sent her a friend request so that she also could see my business page I have on there as well. As I was looking over her page I notice we went ot hte same high school and she graduated 3 yrs. after I was there. Such a small world! I am excited about this wedding because she is also having her reception at one of my favorite restaurants in Glendale that I used to frequent when I lived there, and now I get to go back.

The other wedding that is the beginning of June, I went to school with the groom. His sister and I are facebook friends, another connection. Ellie saw what I did for my business and she referred me to Amber and Mauricio. I just met with them a couple of weeks ago and can I mention how funny it is to be doing a wedding of someone you have not seen in 15 years let alone went to high school with. It's so funny, but I am glad that I am able to make their day go smoothly and they get to enjoy and savor all the festivities! I know the similarities are not real close but close enough that I thought it was worth mentioning!

Santa Barbara Wedding

2010-02-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since i've posted anything and so I thought I should catch you up on what i've been doing. I did a wedding with a florist vender of mine in Santa Barbara on Saturday January 2. You would think a wedding in January would be freezing cold, but this is California and well anything weather wise is possible. The weather had to be at least 75 if not 80 that day, it was gorgeous outside and a perfect day for a wedding. This wedding was a bit different because I was hired by the florist to do the coordinating. The florist was related to the groom getting married and they hired her to take care of the wedding, so in turn she hired me to help her out on the day of. I have never done something like this where I had not known the bride and groom, so it was a bit different for me but I welcome the challenge. I was able to email the bride and get the information I needed in order to put together the timeline of the days events. Everything went extremely smoothly and I was able to meet some new vendors like Sun-Dance Photography that took the pictures here and I thank Blendie for sharing them with me.

Wedding Updates

2009-12-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, my other job ( working with my florist) has been keeping me busy and I just haven't had the time to blog. I have a wedding coming up next weekend that I am actually helping the florist to coordinate the wedding. I was hired by the florist and not the bride on this one. It's not as hard as I thought it would be not dealing with the bride directly but there is alot of time in getting the information I need to make the timeline back from the florist from the bride. I have never done this before so I will let you know how it works out after next weekend.
So March has gotten to be a bausy month for me, my June bride has moved up her date to March instead of June, and no she is not prego but her sister is and is due the week that my bride was supose to get married in June, so they choose to move their date up. I have to say that I was alittle afraid that Castaways was not going to allow them to change the date but, low and behold they said it was ok. the bride has also changed the size of the wedding and a few other things that Castaways was willing to go along with. So moral of this story even if you have a contract it doesn't hurt to ask and see what they say, it can work in your favor. Aside of that wedding I have another wedding in March the week after ceremony in Encino reception in Glendale. I just got a call from a bride for the first week of March also. March is looking to be the month to get married this year. Thanks to Facebook and being able to reconnect with some old friends, I may be doing a wedding for a high school friend in June, that would be great to be able after all this time to work on their wedding. So that is just a little update for what is going on with me and my business.

Rancho Las Palmas Wedding

2009-10-27T10:22:00.001-07:00

This Past weekend I had the opportunity to attend a friends wedding at the Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage ( Palm Springs), California. The resort was absolutely gorgeous as you can see by the picture. The weather was 95 and the wedding ceremony was a 4pm.

It was quite hot still at 4pm, the wedding ended up not starting until 4:30. The guest ended up finding some shade until the start of the ceremony. We were provided with hand fans to cool us off a bit, yet we were out in the full sun so it was still hot with the fans. The flowers were nice as well they used hydrangea and roses all white with rose petals that lined the aisle, they held up very well in the heat! That is a definate plus when dealing with hot weather is that your flowers hold and do not die as soon as you put them outside.

I did feel bad for the bride and groom since there was not an umbrella to block the sun from them, and being in a full tux and a gorgeous lace gown I would assume be very uncomfortable. Although the look on both of their faces only shows happiness and excitment!

The ceremony was not very long maybe 30 minutes, which was good for everyone since there were a lot of guests in suits with the jackets on. The poor men were just sweating the whole time, why not take the jacket off you may ask...well under the jacket is a wet dress shirt so the jacket was a nice cover. My husband included did not wear his jacket but was sweating through his shirt. You can see the bride as she comes back up the aisle that she was glistening also from being hot. Again look at her face, I don't think she minded.

After the ceremony was an hour cocktail hour on the greens while the bridal party took some pictures. The centerpieces on the tables were 3 red roses in a bud vase with a very nice beaded tablecloth covering. There we were able to get our fill of beverages and appetizers and by this time the sun had set behind the mountains and it cooled down a bit and made the evening more comfortable.

Follolwing the cocktail hour was the reception which was held at the resort on the terrace patio. Here again are the centerpieces also with fancy beaded tablecloths. The centerpieces were very nice, I would have liked to see them put on a pedestal with crystals hanging from them and they would reflect the light from the votive candles. They had a crystal chandalier which hung over the dance area and I feel it would have been incorporated nicely. The menu started off with a wedge salad, then to the chilean sea bass and a petit filet with potatoes and vegetables. Absolutely Delicious!!!

There was the traditional comments and toasts from the parents and best man and maid of honour. Then the dancing started....this wedding was mixed with american and armenian cultures. The Dj tried his best to mix up the music for both but not sure that was completely accomlished, but he gets an A for effort, despite introducing the wrong people for the first dance, (not good) he wasn't bad. The rest of the night went well as we get to the cutting of the cake which is my favorite part, this cake was unlike any wedding cake I have ever seen, it looked like the fondant was wrapped by hand in layers with perfect placement of the roses. It was a 3 layers cake one layer was chocolate the other was a white cake with fresh strawberries that I have to say in my all time favorite type of cake!

The night ended around 10 because of a noise ordinance the music had to be off by then, so the bride and groom invited everyone down to the lobby bar to continue drinks and association for the remainder of the evening! All in all there were a few things mainly at the cermony I would have done differently, but for the most part the bride and groom enjoyed themselves and in the end isn't that all that matters.

Bridal Show

2009-09-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

This year I will be at the "Fall in Love" Bridal Show. I will be working with my florist David Blair at his booth. Please come by and say hello and let us show you some amazing floral work. The Show is from 11am-4pm. David Blair is also providing the floral arrangements for the Bridal Dress fashion show so make sure you don't miss that as well.

Personalize Your Wedding

2009-08-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Creating a wedding that is unique is easier than ever since several companies now offer customizable services and products for weddings. Incorporating a personal message or monogram into your special day will not only allow you to customize your wedding, but it will also provide you with a means of creating a consistent look. By using repetitive elements, you will be able to create a sense of commonality between aspects that would otherwise have no connection.
Save the date cards or ecards and wedding websites are typically the elements that will introduce your wedding to your guests, so if you can include your monogram or message on these aspects of your wedding, your guests will recognize them when they see them on your napkins or place cards, for example. If you want to have a wedding website that looks like it was custom designed just for you but does not include the custom price tag, consider creating a DIY site using WeddingWindow.com - you can create custom color schemes and upload your own design photos.
Another way to incorporate your custom monogram or message is through lighting. You can create something called a custom gobo, which allows you to project your monogram on the dance floor or on the wall of your reception hall. You can include your custom elements in other ways as well, such as on postage stamps, on wine labels, and on aisle runners. So as you can see, once you create your custom elements, it is easy to carry them through to the other aspects of your wedding. And, if there are other special ways that define you as a couple such as travel, music or art, try to think of ways to include them as well so your relationship is apparent in every way possible on your wedding day.
www.desireerusso.weddingwindow.com

Involving Your Friends and Family Members

2009-08-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Whether you plan to have an intimate wedding ceremony or a grand soirée, your friends and family members will likely have a desire to get involved or contribute to the planning process in some shape or form. While you may not want them to offer too much advice, there are fortunately some fun and easy ways to keep them included. And who knows, you may even find that you receive some helpful information along the way.
First, if you have a wedding website, consider including a music request form. Not only will your guests be able to provide you with their song wish list, but you will also be able to get a sense of what will keep the party hoppin'.
Consider also offering an address book form on your website, so your guests can add or update their mailing address information. Allowing your guests to do this on their own will not only free you up to stay focused on the other aspects of your planning, but it will also provide you with a means of obtaining the information you will need when it comes time to send out your wedding invitations.
Many couples have opted to include poll and quiz questions on their websites. Some questions may even relate back to the planning decisions they need to make. While some couples use the responses to actually help them make their decisions, such as where to go for their honeymoon, others take the advice with a grain of salt. Either way, your guests will have fun and will feel as though they are contributing to your experience.
Many brides also benefit from blogging about their wedding planning experience. Planning a wedding, as we all know, can be quite stressful. For many, a wedding blog provides an opportunity to share thoughts and feelings with friends and family members. You may find that you receive both helpful advice and much needed support via the blog entry comments. However, if you are not one to share your thoughts, your blog is great for updating your guests about any changes to your wedding plans.
If you want to allow your guests to receive regular updates regarding your wedding plans, consider including an optional mailing list on your wedding website. That way, you can alert your guests to changes with one simple email.
Planning a wedding is exciting and fun, but no one ever said that you have to do it alone, so don't hesitate to provide your friends and family members with a way to help you with your choices and decisions. They will likely enjoy feeling involved and in the end, you may benefit from getting some helpful advice.
www.desireerusso.weddingwindow.com

Floral Arrangements Delivered

2009-07-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

I always thought it would be nice to have fresh flowers every week sitting on that entry table to just brighten up the room. Now David Blair Designs is offering this service to those that live in the San Fernando Valley area! He will deliver fresh arrangements to you on a weekly basis, the arrangements start at $25.00 and go up. He will pick up the same vase and use that each week. This service can be either for your home or office. It's something to think about flowers make a big difference in a room they just make the room shine! There's a link to him here on my blog so check him out!

Teiler and Candis Engagement Photos

2009-07-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

So the progress of Teiler and Candis is coming along very well. With a little over a month to go until the wedding they haven taken their engagement photos, got their marriage license, registered, and are finalizing the reception decor as well as the food. Here are a few of their photos taken at The Getty courtesy of KMS Photography.

Destination Weddings

2009-07-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Destination weddings are hugely popular these days, but your wedding guests may be unfamiliar with the location you have chosen for your wedding destination. So, if you want both you and your guests to have an enjoyable destination wedding planning experience, you will find that communication and convenience are two of the key considerations for success.
Pre-wedding communication of all of the details involved in planning for and traveling to a destination wedding can be both time-consuming and expensive. If you create a wedding website, however, you can provide all of the wedding details in one place. That way, your guests can make their travel plans using your suggestions about where to stay, what to do and how to get there. Not only will your research make it easier for your guests to plan their travel arrangements, but you will also save your own time and money because you will not have lots of phone calls to field or multiple mailings to send. Creating website links directly to the reservation pages of the hotels, B&Bs or Inns that you recommend and making suggestions regarding local activities for those who may be extending their stay will make it much easier for your guests to know what is both available and closely located to the wedding location. For added convenience, you can even provide a calendar of pre-arranged events along with the directions to each. Including stories on your wedding website about where you grew up, how you met and how you became engaged will allow the friends and family members of each side to get to know you better. You may even want to allow your guests the opportunity to get to know each other better by creating a page on your website that includes photos and stories about how you came to know each of them. To further include your guests, you can post photos or video of the actual proposal or even blog entries about your wedding planning experience- doing so will allow them to share in the experienceamd coment on your entries.
Since destination weddings tend to be smaller in size, you will mostly likely have friends and family members who will not be in attendance. Not only is a wedding website a wonderful planning tool, but because you can share guestbook entries, photos, stories and videos post-wedding, it is also an ideal method for sharing your wedding experiences with everyone, including those who could not be there with you in person.
www.desirusso.weddingwindow.com
© 2009 Wedding Window. All rights reserved

~Personalize your Wedding~

2009-06-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

How to Communicate Sensitive Wedding Information

2009-06-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

As I always say, communication is key when it comes to planning a successful wedding - where to stay, what to do, how to get there. And, although most information can be easily conveyed, it can be somewhat difficult to determine the best way to communicate sensitive details such as where you are registered and whether or not you wish to restrict attendance to adults-only at certain events.
Even though it is quite common nowadays for couples to create gift registries, it is still considered to be a faux pas to include such information with your save the date or wedding invitation. So what's a bride to do? Well, traditionally, guests would call the mother-of-the-bride, the maid-of-honor or another family member to determine the stores at which the couple was registered. If, however, the guests had an appropriate place to go to look up these details on their own, such as a wedding website, it would be far more convenient for all involved.
Today, most couples already direct their guests to their wedding website for hotel accommodations, travel information and personal stories, so if you have a website, you can also use it to communicate information that is more difficult or sticky to convey through other means. For example, if you include your wedding website address on your save the date card and direct your guests to your website for future wedding-related updates, you can simply incorporate a "Gift Registry" page into your list of available website pages. This will allow you to discreetly make your registry information accessible, while providing the guests who wish to select something from your registry a convenient means of determining where to go. Please keep in mind that it should never be suggested that your guests be required to purchase something from your registry. You may find that the gifts that mean the most to you are those that were chosen thoughtfully off-registry.
Many couples also run into issues regarding the attendance of children at specific events, such as the rehearsal dinner or the wedding reception. If you need to advise your guests of your desire to have an adult-only reception, for example, consider creating an FAQ page on your website. You will be able to address several commonly asked questions, while tactfully communicating delicate details. Your guests will appreciate knowing your wishes ahead of time and you can feel comfortable knowing that you have provided them with the information they need to make the necessary arrangements.
www.desireerusso.weddingwindow.com
© 2009 Wedding Window. All rights reserved.

Save the Date eCards

2009-06-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

When planning your wedding, it is always a good idea to make your guests aware of your wedding date well ahead of time so they can make the necessary arrangements to be there. I recommend sending out a save-the-date about 6 to 8 months in advance of your wedding, which will help to ensure a good turnout on your big day.
Save-the-dates can come in several forms. You can send out physical cards or magnets or, you can save time and money by sending out save-the-date ecards. For added convenience, you can even include a clickable link directly to your wedding website on your save-the-date ecard so your guests don't have to physically enter your website URL into the browser address field. And, because ecards are electronic, they are also good for the environment!
If you make note of your wedding website address on your physical save-the-date or ecard, you can direct your guests to the site for more information. Doing so will not only make your guests aware of your wedding website and where to go to learn more about your wedding plans, your recommendations and where to go for future updates, but it will also prevent you from having to personally field calls or emails about where to stay, what to do or where you're registered because all of that information will most likely already be available on your wedding website - if you choose to include it.
If at all possible, try to create a cohesive look across each of your wedding elements by coordinating the look of your save-the-date with your wedding colors and/or wedding website design. This will allow you to set the tone for the rest of your wedding from the first introduction.

www.desireerusso.weddingwindow.com
© 2009 Wedding Window. All rights reserved.

Candy Station

2009-06-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

A new trend for wedding favors is having a candy station as you see pictured here, photo courtesy of David Blair Designs. You can fill them with any of your favorite types of candy. The more colorful the better they look. Here the containers were also decorated with ribbon to incorporate the theme and colors of the wedding. It is a fun and easy way to have favors displayed for your guests. These are not limited to just weddings, you can have then for any occasion. Ask me how you can have them at your wedding!

Teiler and Candis

2009-06-13T18:01:00.001-07:00

My new couple Teiler and Candis will be getting married August 29th, 2009. They have been dating for 1 1/2 yrs. Candis lives in Orange County, and Teiler lives in Reseda. I look forward to sharing the planning process with all of you. They will be having their reception in his parents beautiful backyard! Check back for more updates on Teiler and Candis.

What's good about a Wedding Website?

2009-06-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is the best way to share your wedding with all your friends and family. You are able to let them know the details of the wedding as far as location, hotels nearby if they are coming from far away. It is also good to share pictures of the two of you maybe engagement pictures that not everyone you know was able to see. The website is also a good place to put where you registered for the wedding. Alot of times there is mix feelings as to how to let people know where you are registered, this way it is listed on your site for everyone to see. To let your friends and family know you have a wedding website you could either send out an email to them all or my favorite is to send Save the Date cards with the website listed at the bottom of the card, that way everyone has all the information they need to be part of your special day.

A few pay sites that you could use for your wedding website are:

Wedding Window
The Knot
Wedding Channel

There are also free sites you can use as well such as:

Ewedding
Wedding Wire
My Wedding.Com

Wedding Rehearsal Do's

2009-06-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

DO- have your bridal party wear their shoes to rehearsal. I was in a wedding at a golf course and you could not have your heels sink into the grass, so we had to "pretend" we had our shoes on and walk on our tip toes during the whole rehearsal. Also it just makes it easier if the girls are standing on uneven ground that they get the feeling of it in their own shoes.

DO- be on Time. Especially if you are having your rehearsal at a different location than the rehearsal dinner. You never know how long it may take and if there may be traffic to get from one place to another.

DO- have the music there. Whether it is a DJ, or someone playing an instrument. It helps with timing to make sure the music is on cue with the procession of the bridal party.

These are my top three that I feel can make the rehearsal go a little easier.

Seth and McKenna~ Part 2

2009-05-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

Seth and Mckenna

2009-05-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Seth and McKenna were married at a private residence in Calabasas, Ca on May 23, 2009. With a guest list of under 90 people they were able to have their Magical Wedding under the stars. The day could not have been more perfect for them, everything went as planned if not better. The photos taken here captured moments they will remember for a lifetime, here are a few courtesy of Forever True Photography.

Seth and McKenna thank you both for letting me help be part of your special day and making it the wedding you both wanted. I hope you were able to take a second and just reflect on the night and what it meant to both of you. Have a great time in Aruba!

Wedding Timeline

2009-04-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

12 - 16 Months before the wedding

Choose a wedding date
Discuss & Choose the style and formality of your wedding
Decide on a wedding budget*
Hire a wedding consultant *
Select a ceremony location
Select a reception site
Start shopping for a wedding gown

8 - 10 Months before the wedding

Select your bridal party
Interview and Hire the following:*
Wedding officiant*
Reception Caterer *( if the reception site does not offer catering)
Photographer and Videographer*
Band or DJ*
Decide on bridesmaids dresses
Start compiling names & addresses for the guest list
Sign up for a gift registry
Engagement party*

5 - 7 Months before the wedding

Finalize the guest list
Shop for your wedding stationery (invitations, thank you)
Arrange accommodations for out of town guests if there are any*
Select your wedding cake
Begin preparations for your honeymoon*

4 Months before the wedding

Book your florist*
Shop for your wedding bands

3 Months before the wedding

Send out your invitations
Select tuxedos
Arrange for rental of items*
Discuss finalized menu options and costs with your caterer*
Arrange transportation/ limousine service*
Order wedding favors if having any*
Shop for bridal party gifts

2 Months before the wedding

Choose your wedding music
Select a location for your rehearsal dinner*
Confirm with formal wear shop*
Schedule your alterations
Schedule fittings for the bridesmaids and flower girl.
Confirm your order with the florist*

1 Month before the wedding

Design your wedding programs if you are having them*
Apply for your marriage license
Have a final gown fitting
Choose all of your wedding accessories
Visit your hair stylist
Visit your make-up artist
Hair & make-up done, have your formal bridal portraits done.
Discuss and finalize details with wedding service providers*

2 Weeks before the wedding

Give the caterer a finalized head count*
Give your DJ or Band a list of songs*
Confirm rehearsal plans*
Complete floor and seating plan*
Confirm all rental and floral delivery dates and times*

1 Week before the wedding

Make any last minute seating arrangements/adjustments*
Organize your wedding day attire
Confirm honeymoon reservations*
Confirm reservations for out-of-town guests*
Pack for your honeymoon.
Gather all necessary documents for travel
Confirm rehearsal plans with attendants*
Confirm reservations for the rehearsal dinner*
Pick up formalwear

YOUR WEDDING DAY!

Eat Something!
Get your hair and make-up done
Have someone check the reception site*
Dress for your wedding.
Have candid photos taken with family
Enjoy, you've worked hard

****Any of the items marked with an astrisk can be handled by your coordinator should you have one. That will alleviate the stress on you the day of and the weeks before****

Q&A: Wedding Details: Can We Afford a Consultant?

2009-04-21T10:50:00.001-07:00

Q.

We're not sure if we can afford the services of a wedding consultant, but we desperately need help -- we both work full time and our jobs require frequent travel on the weekends. What are our options?

The good news: Skilled wedding consultants are trained to work within a variety of budgets. While it's true that many are hired on a soup-to-nuts, start-to-finish basis (which can get expensive), wedding consultants can facilitate wedding planning in other capacities too. For example, you can schedule a consultation where the consultant provides a blueprint -- usually a preparation guide and a list of trustworthy, talented vendors to check out. You can also hire a wedding consultant to oversee things on the evening before and actual day of the wedding. Or you can contract a wedding consultant to work with you on a freelance basis (to scout out a location, and advise on catering firms and florists, for example), in which case they're paid by the hour. These selective services should run quite a bit less than full-service help. Note that the billing process depends on your coordinator: Some consultants charge by the hour, others charge a flat fee depending on what you need them for. So make a list of things you know you want the consultant to handle, then call a few to see what they charge.

mdfriedman13
I did the exact thing. Honestly my friends and everyone were offering to help and it was great but at the end of the day I really want everyone to be able to relax and have fun at the party and not have to worry about the details. I found someone I feel comfortable with that will do a great job and when I need her to do something I know she'll do it and do it right. She'll even take care of things I don't need or want to know about which is great. Hoping to have a very carefree day and I believe worth every penny.

ohla
I've worked as a wedding coordinator's assistant and I am now planning my wedding in May. It is the best money you will ever spend, believe me. If you can only afford her for the "day of", DO IT. We've done weddings where everyone was willing to help, but as the event goes on, your helpers want to party and have a good time. Hire someone who know her sole purpose for being there is to get it done beautifully. You won't regret it...

As published by The Knot.Com

Bridal Shower Game

2009-04-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

So I was at a bridal shower over the weekend and they played a great game. Sometimes shower games are not all there cracked up to be, we've played them all many times and are very familiar with dress up like a bride using toilet paper, wear a clip and you not able to say thename of the bride or groom. Don't get me wrong there fun but well over played. Well at this shower I can honestly say I have never played this game before. The bridesmaids asked the groom a list of 16 questions in which they asked the bride to be. For every question the bride to be got wrong she had to chew bubble gum, not a stick of trident but real hubba bubba chewing gum and in different flavors let me add. So after not getting 7 of the questions correct her mouth was full of the most disgusting flavors of gum you can imagine. It was also very funny because since she had these pieces of gum in her mouth we could not understand her answers on some of the questions. It was extremely funny to listen to her and a great game to be played at a shower. A few of us also disgused playing this game at an anniversary party with the couple to see how well do they STILL know each other after how many years. There are pictures from this shower I will post soon!!!

Date Selection Tip

2009-04-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is just a tip:

When setting your date be somewhat flexible, as I have learned if you are having the ceremony and reception at the same location both venues may not be available for the same day. I came across this at a certain location where they had a really cute house as the bridal suite that lead out to one of the ceremony sites. They had numerous ceremony sites but only one "bridal suite" which makes it difficult there are more than one weddding at this location. They only allow one bride to use the bridal suite the day of the wedding. That was just this particuliar site, also if you do not book early your desired date could as well be booked. So try to pick maybe a couple dates that work for you to have available so you will not be upset when your first date is booked.

Ana & Miguel- Venue Selected

2009-04-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

Castaways in Burbank sits ontop a hill and overlooks the Burbank valley. This is the location Ana & Miguel have choosen for their special day. At night the views from this location are absolutely beautiful with the city lights in the background. This is our first mission accomplished, next we are on to the engagement photo session.

Ana & Miguel- Visiting Venues

2009-04-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Today we visited to venues in Burbank, Pickwick Gardens and Calamigos Ranch. Both were very nice venues, all though the smell of being at the equestrian was not something I would want to smell during the ceremony. The banquet rooms are very nice size depending on the amount of guests you would be having. There Grand Prix room is really nice with a fireplace and lights over the dance floor that reflect the mirrored ceiling. The White House is very beautiful house that has a room for the Bride to get ready in and enter the ceremony site at the Garden Courtyard. Here is the link to look at photos of this location, decorated nicely it would be beautiful if you didn't mind the smell. http://www.calamigosequestrian.com/calamigos_home.htm.
The Pickwick Gardens to my amazment was also very nice. As a young person I frequesntly went here to either bowl or ice skate and I was not aware the gardens existed. I was a little concerned about the smell since being so close to the equestrian area, but you could not smell anything. The grounds were very lush with beautiful flowers and fountains and walkways. The amount of trees that would be blooming during the time of year Ana & Miguel would have their wedding would be gorgeous. Their banquet rooms were also nice, one in particuliar had views of the grounds all lit up at night and big windows doecorating the ceiling with swag linens would make the room more intimate. Here is there website too, these pictures though do not do it justice you need to see it in person to appreciate how nice it really is. http://www.pickwickgardensconferencecenter.com/california-garden-wedding-reception.htm They have also looked at Castaways in Burbank which is known for their amazing views. At this point Ana and Miguel have to deceid on a guest list count that works within their budget so we can move forward to secure a location. We need to figure which location will be the best for the money and also offer what they want for there special day. More to come from the two of them....

Sherwood Country Club

2009-04-10T17:43:00.001-07:00

Sherwood Country Club is amazing!!!! It is absolutley beautiful. I talked to the events coordinator today Michelle and she said they are having a Platinum Wedding there soon. I can only imagine how gorgeous this will be. I was looking at it for Ana & Miguel, let's see if it makes it in the running. I just wanted to share this beautiful spot.

Bridal Showers

2009-04-09T21:32:00.001-07:00

So my bride is having her first bridal shower in a week. She told the maid of honour to add to the guest list people who are not invited to the wedding. So how do you handle this situation, one of the guests of the shower who is not invited to the wedding approached the bride and asked about purchasing something personal a few weeks back, then recently asked the bride about buying a gift for the wedding. The bride does not know what to say to this, since this guest is not invited to the wedding. Do you let it go, and she will realize when she does not get an invitation to the wedding? Do you have the Maid of Honour say something to her since she did the invitng? Hmmmm.....

***Answer***

We(mother of the bride and I ) have talked about it and came to the conclusion that maybe this person would not mind coming to the wedding as a helper. The Maid of Honour will have to confirm that she is ok with all of this granted, but if so we could use the help. So at this point the Maid of Honour does not think it will be a big deal to the guest that she is not invited, since she knows her well enough we are going to go with that. If things change the invitation to help out still stands.

Ana & Miguel

2009-04-08T22:01:00.001-07:00

Ana and Miguel got engaged a few months ago. The planning was on hold since Ana is a teacher and works on the track system. Last month Ana was off and began her search for locations, as some of you know looking for locations can be really time comsuming and exhausting. After picking a few places she kind of gave up and just wanted to go to Vegas. I had to offer my services to her because I knew she wanted to have a Wedding that represented the two of them. So I offered to make there reservations at locations I felt suited her and Miguel. So while on vacation I did just that, I set up appointments for them to go look at locations this coming weekend and next. Mind you I still am on vacation with my family and still took time out to spend with them but also managed to schedule the appointments I needed too. So this is where we stand: 1. visit locations and see if we can pick one, 2. Find out which photographer Ana would like to use as well as hair and make up and schedule engagement photos. This is her trial run for her wedding using them for engagement photos. If you don't like something about them you can always get another hair or makeup person and use them for your showers also, so you can make a decision before the big day. I will post engagement photos as soon as they are taken...I will definately keep you posted on the process of this wedding. The Wedding Date is June 19, 2010.

Mckenna & Seth

2009-04-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

So Seth and Mckenna met when they were both 15 yrs. old. Little did they know that after 6 years of knowing each other that they would end up getting married. Seth is from Nebraska and Mckenna is a L.A. girl. Seth dropped everything for McKenna and moved here to be closer to her, now how is that for following the love of your life. I mean moving from a small town in Nebraska and coming here to Los Angeles CRAZY!!! Just driving here is insane. Anyway back to my couple....So in January of this year after dating "officially" for 5 1/2 months Seth popped the question while at a weekend at Disneyland. Mckenna was so excited needless to say!!!! So now let the planning begin with the wedding being in May, there was not alot of time to get alot of things done. We are coming up on less then 50 days til the big day and all th emajor planning is done! The Dress..Done, Suits..Done, Location..Done, Flowers..Done, Photographer..Done, Bridesmaid Dresses...Done, Catering..Done, Officiant..Done, Transportation..Done All that's left is a few decorations and the beverages. Here are a few of there Engagment Photos.... The Soon~To~Be~ Mr. & Mrs. Hyatt

Wedding Coordinator

2009-03-21T12:16:00.001-07:00

So I have deceided to become a wedding coordinator. It is an interest I've had for a very long time and now have friends in the field motivating me to go ahead and try it. I have a wedding I am currently doing and then one in the beginning stages. I am excited to start this new venture of my life and hope other will be excited to allow me to help them. I am looking for some of you that are engaged and looking for a coordinator to let me help you. I am looking to have a few weddings under me before I start actually charging for this service, so if you want to help me get more experience I would really appreciate all the help I can get.