Great Bridal Party Gift Options!

I love jewelry that is unique and different and the website www.penelopepoet.com has some great options for gifts for bridesmaids, friends, parents, and especially the "wishng rabbit" for Flower Girls! Happy Spring!

Well here it is March already and your wedding may be just around the corner. Many talk about wanting to wait to hire vendors for their big day so that they can see if they are going to lose their jobs. This economy like never before has most frightened to spend money.

If you are one of those frightened souls who has been waiting on pins and needs there are a couple of great resources to hiring your vendors without having to spend endless time on the phone interviewing. www.weddingwire.com is a great resource because vendors are rated by previous clients as well as local vendors. Another great one is www.weddingvendors.com.

On a side note I was thrilled to find two photographers this week that I love and that have good prices. They are Studio Laguna www.Studiolaguna.com and Jennifer Cress www.Jennifercress.com. Both are super talented.

Happy Shopping!

An Autumn Wedding

photos courtesy of: Brides.com; Matthew Mead, Country Living Magazine; Toast and Tables

If you are trying to carve out amazing style on your big day but not break the bank here are some simple ideas.
Pumpkins and gourds in every color add color or simplicity. They can be used for a more traditional look or for something more fun and different - use your creativity! The various sizes make for easy use in just about every area of your wedding. Place cards can be the small white pumpkins. Simply write on them with a permanent marker. They look great all lined up on the place card table - plus they won't blow away if your wedding is outside.

Another great way to save is to purchase rather than rent items for your table top decor. There are so many items from votives to napkin rings and great autumnal dishes, glassware, cake plates etc.... These items are all sold between mid September and Thanksgiving. I've seen amazing things at Target Stores, Walmart, TJMaxx, Kohls, Marshall's, and Home Goods. It is so worth checking it out, particularly if your wedding is a year from now. If you are planning a Fall wedding for 2009 you will even be able to get most of these items after Thanksgiving for a great price.

So - you say you don't want to store the items when the day is over - no problem, donate it!

Happy Planning!

Green Weddings

It is a pleasure to be able to plan eco-firendly weddings that have our style conscious clients in mind. Given the current social and economic climate these days it is more and more important to try to reduce our carbon footprint. Weddings are a new chapter, a fresh start for couple to make a difference. You can have a "green" wedding without breaking the bank.

Some great tips that I've found include using 100% PCW recycled paper for all of the wedding stationery from invites, thank you notes, and programs to menu cards and place cards. This paper is made without chlorine therefore the byproducts will not hurt the earth. A great site to start with is www.twistedlimb.com.

You can also find a caterer who only serves foods that are organic and or from local farmers. Your food will be better for you and more fresh. It may in some cases cost more money but ultimately is worth it in the end. While speaking of food we cannot forget the cake - there are dozens of organic bakers in town. It is worth it to check them out.

For decor consider using soy candles rather than wax. They last far longer, you can continue to use them for entertaining for many months or years to come. There are several sites that offer these candles, simply google "Soy Candles" to find your plethora of options. Again, the cost will be a bit higher but they last far longer. If the cost is prohibitive consider sharing the candles with a friend who is also getting married that year. Another very cool and different way to decorate is to take potted plants of various sizes and add stalks of curly bamboo for texture. Bamboo grows up to an astonishing two feet per day so it takes far less time to regenerate than many other wood options. This too can be reused for many years after and it has a really attractive texture to it.

A couple may decide that they want to be environmentally conscious on their honeymoon. By going to www.ecomall.com you'll find a travel agent who can book a socially and environmentally sensitive trip for you and your beloved.

Finally, this might seem like a strange concept but it is being done more and more. You can either purchase a gently used wedding gown from one of dozens of wedding consignments shops. You may also consider a vintage gown. If all of this is just too much for you perhaps you would like to donate your gown to www.idofoundation.org.

Happy Green Planning!
Nicolle

Uplifting Weekend!

I had the privilege of working with a dear family and some fabulous vendors this weekend on a dream wedding at a private residence in the West Metro. The bride and groom were magical - not only beautiful on the inside and out but their love for one another was shining so brightly that day it was blinding.

The residential setting for the wedding was perfect and pristine to begin with. The talents of Apres Party and Tent rental, Linen Effects, and Martha's Garden's made the design out of this world. Jim Bach and the mother of the bride, along with a small army of others built ramps and safety features so that vendors and guests alike were safe and comfortable as they maneuvered their way through the natural glory of the yard and into the reception tent.

We had the usual elements that Minnesota is so famous for - birds, bugs, rain, humidity, and wind. The best part of the whole weekend was that we had all of it a few different times over the course of the weekend. This is why my motto of "expect the unexpected" holds so dear to me - you can't wish away the weather. Pretty amazing testament to the patience of all of us - but we did it and it was perfect! We did not have any soggy guests and though it rained during dinner, no one knew because the sound of their joy and happiness drowned out the raindrops.

D'Amico catering did an outstanding job of serving the guests and the food was top quality as usual. Sandy Vogel and her team should be very proud of all of their hard work. The incline of the hill they had to climb to service this event surely made for some sore calves on Sunday.

For this wedding planner the day was bitter sweet because their photographer, Hilary Bullock - a dear friend of Mother of the Bride Weddings for many years - told me that this was her final wedding and that she was on to a new career of garden and landscape design. We wish her well and know that with this, as with her photography she'll be at the top of her game.

I'm grateful to the amazing team of hardworking "service" angels that made another magical wedding dream come true!

- Nicolle

What's New in Minnesota Wedding Photography

In the past 20 years I have seen many changes in the world of wedding
photography. Early on, photographing weddings required more
equipment and technical expertise than it does today. With the
advent of digital cameras and the internet, the number of wedding
photographers has exploded. That being said, one thing hasn't
changed. Being a wedding photographer requires a tremendous amount
of people skills and flexibility. I can find myself dealing with
people who are emotionally stressed and worried about wedding day
details. This "worry" will be conveyed in their expressions which
is never a good thing. That is why having a good wedding coordinator,
like Mother of the Bride, can make all the difference. Happy people
will make better photos. Photographing a wedding is a collaborative
effort and being surrounded by good wedding vendors will ultimately
make the photographs better.