“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
~ Harry (Billy Crystal) to Sally (Meg Ryan),
When Harry Met Sally
{Love Notes}
{Blunders to Steer Clear Of} Are You Leaving Him Out?
A continuation of our series: Blunders To Steer Clear Of After Getting Engaged
Mistake #3 – Leaving Your Groom Out of the Planning Process
Get Your Groom Involved in the Wedding Planning
The days of solo wedding planning are behind us. Not only are mothers and daughters concerned with the wedding plans but so are many of modern-day grooms. Don’t assume he doesn’t want to help. Get him involved. Don’t leave him out. After all, it’s important for both of you to feel connected to this process.
If you’re one of the fortunate brides whose groom wants to be involved in every decision then consider yourself lucky. Give him his list and treat yourself to a day at the spa.
If you’d like more input then consider these tips.
Let Him Choose
Right at the very start of the planning stages, find out which parts of the planning he wants to be in charge of. This will allow him to choose what interests him (like finding the right DJ over selecting wedding favors).
Narrow Down His Choices
Yes, I’ll say it. Men have short attention spans. Once you’ve narrowed it down give him a short list of options for each stage of the planning process. Get his opinion from these lists. Keep your wedding planning conversations with him brief. An hour of debating lavender and gray or hot pink and teal will have his eyes glazing over.
His Ideas Count
You wanted him involved, so be prepared when he gives you an honest opinion. Let him know his suggestions matter and are important to you. Marriage requires compromise. Be willing to listen and don’t reject his opinions.
Good Negotiator?
Let him take on some of the vendors. Let him choose the ones that appeal to him. He may be interested in finding the right DJ, even setting up wedding day transportation. Ask him to work out the prices with vendors, and see what kinds of “extras” he can manage to get included in your packages.
Honeymoon Planning
Your guy probably already has a plan for your honeymoon. Almost all grooms are eager to have a direct say in this part of the wedding planning. So, make a few suggestions but let him come up with options for that too.
Make it easy for him to participate. In wedding planning, no task is unimportant. Keep things organized in a way both of you can easily make decisions.
You never know, maybe he’ll even blow your socks off by throwing you a few wedding planning tips.
{Love Notes}
Easter Brunch Inspiration
I can’t believe month of March is behind us and we are now in April . Easter is coming right up and spring is here! Springtime…..the freshness, the passing of dreary winter to bright, fresh spring. There are very few times during the year that I enjoy being outside and Springtime is definitely one of those times that I can say I don’t mind being outdoors. It just doesn’t seem to last long enough and because this is Bakersfield our weather seems to go from cool to scorching hot in no time at all!
Speaking of spring, this outdoor spring colored tablescape is right on trend for your Easter brunch.
I love this beautiful table setting. The original article can be found here. These nests are filled with large peonies instead of eggs!
So simple to add any colored flower inside the nests to match your theme colors. Makes a pretty table setting for Easter, Mother’s Day, weddings or “Nesting” baby showers. These peonies are sitting in a shallow plastic bowl of water then placed into nests of twisted fern vines. Finish off the theme with miniature nest place card holders. These smaller stems would be placed into a floral water tube and then placed into the smaller nest. The large round wine glasses kind of mimic the roundness of the nests .
Of course you can use any flower you prefer and hopefully one you have in your own backyard!
I love the muted coral, pinks and whites of this traditional looking table setting, the banded vintage jar adds to the overall look, as do the handwritten food labels. The original story can be found here SMP
This spring green invitation features intricate butterflies and colored stars throughout the card. Add your personalized text to complete the look. It would also work for a spring themed shower as well. Give us a call to discuss ways to make it unique for your celebration.
And now for the fun part…..the kids have their candy and so the adults need something too.
Mango Peach Sangria
Try serving this lightly sweet, fruity white-wine sangria over plenty of ice cubes. Using Viognier gives it the right balance of fruity sweetness. Yummy!
Recipe: Mango-Peach Sangria
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup Grand Marnier
1 bottle Viognier
1 mango, chopped
2 peaches, cut into thin wedges
1/4 cup mint
MAKE-AHEAD
In a saucepan, cook the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves; transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until cold.
Stir in the Grand Marnier, Viognier, mango, peaches and mint and serve over ice.
I am so ready to try this out today…….Let me know how it turns out for you if you happen to try this recipe.
What to Think About When Deciding on Wine For Your Wedding Reception
Wine has long been offered at wedding receptions ever since the start of time. Nonetheless, sampling as well as picking out your wine for your own personal wedding and reception is surely a significant as well as tricky task. While organizing a wedding and reception or just about any important significant celebration, paying attention to the particulars tends to make the main difference in just how unforgettable your “special ” moment will be to you as well as your family and friends.
Deciding on your wine is without a doubt an essential element-a detail that shouldn’t be neglected. Tastings with caterers as well bakers for your wedding cake are all done well in advance to select what will be served, why then would you not pair the wines ahead of time, as well? Don’t risk it, decide early on. There are also many other things to consider when buying and selecting the wine to serve at your wedding reception.
Your Guests
Exactly what wines do you really enjoy? Think about your family and friends? Do they like red, white, sparkling, or a dessert wine? Will the attendees like 1 or 2 truly impressive glasses of wine to drink while they mingle. Or perhaps, it might be wines are not really important to any of your guests?
Time of Day
Will you be having an evening or an afternoon ceremony? Many people may possibly consume a little bit less during a daytime wedding compared to an evening ceremony. (drink more than a glass of wine in the afternoon, and you may be ready to go to bed even though the party is not nearly over)
Menu
Think about the food you are serving. Are you trying to pair the wine with the food? A beef entrée will probably be best paired with a red. A chicken or pasta entrée will probably be best paired with a white.
Time of Year
Is the wedding reception planned for the middle of the summer months or the winter season? That could very well matter to just what you select and offer your guests-are you trying to warm them up or cool them off?
What’s Your Budget?
Given that a lot of people don’t expect to have a limitless budget allowed to shell out on vino, you’ll definitely want to think about the price tag. There could possibly be room to make a deal on the wine purchase up-front in a package deal. As you are planning to shell out hard-earned cash on a wedding, you might possibly make a deal on your purchase when you’re planning to bring in a particular wine. It’s worth a try!
Glasses
Amazingly, pouring wines into a wine glass designed for that specific wine type can certainly make a difference in the taste as well. Quite a few wedding reception venues might not have varied wine glasses intended for different kinds of wines, however it’s well worth inquiring. If not, that will definitely be an expense to consider as well.
What to Serve for the Toast?
Probably one of the most unforgettable memories from a wedding reception is definitely the toast. The most expensive bubbly is Champagne, but that does not necessarily mean it is the best. You don’t have to serve Champagne for the toast. 
What about it’s cheaper or just as cheery cousins, sparkling wines. They offer a serious bang for the buck and it’s every bit as festive as Champagne and hey, if you’re worried your guests will feel slighted, pour it in another room and come out bearing a festive tray of pre-filled glasses. Chances are they’ll never know the difference and if they do judge you – well, that’s just bad manners on their part.
{Blunders to Steer Clear Of} Wedding Overload
Today we’re back with a continuation of our series, Blunders To Steer Clear Of After Getting Engaged
Mistake number two: – Taking On Too Much, Too Fast
Hooray, it’s happened! He proposed, you said Yes! You get to start planning the wedding of your dreams.
Pull out that dream wedding album you started when you were a little girl. You documented your ideas, designs and dreams for your big day in one little book that you’ve kept tucked under your bed since then. You’ve most likely hit the ground running and you want the whole world to know you’re engaged! You obsessively search blogs, magazines and Google things for your wedding until your brain feels like it’s going to explode!
Continue reading “{Blunders to Steer Clear Of} Wedding Overload”
Blunders To Steer Clear Of After Getting Engaged
Today is our first in a series. We’ll be talking about avoiding some common mistakes newly engaged couples tend to make.
If you’ve recently gotten engaged, congratulations! 
As you’re fresh off of your big engagement news and made the choice to get married, it’s fairly certain that you’ll be fired up and psyched about the actual marriage proposal. After all, it’s an occasion that you both will remember (and re-tell your story of getting engaged) for the rest of your lives — as well as one that you’ve probably been fantasizing about since you watched your first Disney princess movie. You know you’ve looked forward to your wedding day since you were a little girl playing dress-up and practicing your walk down the aisle. In a nutshell: You’ll be deliriously happy, purely for the proposal itself, but don’t let your nerves lead you to make one of these all-too-common marriage proposal mistakes. Loosen-up and chill out. Take a moment to relish in this wonderful time in your lives. Relax and read about some common mistakes recently engaged couples make so that you can avoid them as you plan for your perfect wedding. Doing so will help you limit your tension, irritation and frustration as you prepare for your own special day.
Mistake number one: Wedding Guest Drama
Now, you really don’t want to start off inviting everybody you know to your big event. As soon as you do, you really have no way to tactfully un-invite them. You also must be aware of how many people your groom and his family will want to invite for their side of the guest list. Unless you are made of money you will most likely not be inviting everyone you, your fiancé, your parents and your fiancé’s parents have ever known or ever will know to your wedding. You may not have any real concrete plans or thoughts to what your wedding style or budget are just yet, or how considerable the expenses could be. You might be thinking that your wedding should be a big bash that the whole town will want to attend but your “honey” may have a different idea of what the wedding should be. While you may have dreams of a “Rock Star” (i.e. mega bucks) style wedding, he may have more of an intimate(i.e. less costly) wedding. Your budget will help to shape up your guest list and determine the number of invited wedding guests and sad to say, you are bound to let down someone. Do your very best to invite those closest to you and your fiancé. Parents, as a courtesy should have a say too, most definitely if they are helping to pay for the wedding. Be willing to work it out and make a deal but know that it is YOUR wedding So, keep away from making any promises. Just until you both agree on a wedding and reception spending plan. You will be grateful you did!
Next week we’ll be back and talk about avoiding WEDDING OVERLOAD – taking on too much, too fast.
Are Celebrity Weddings Giving People Unrealistic Expectations of What a Wedding Should Be?
Many young girls look forward to weddings from the moment they start watching Disney princess movies. In many cases, they picture their weddings as extravagant affairs, complete with Prince Charming, elegant dining, gowns galore for the wedding party and, if they dare to dream big, happy, supportive family members. Then, they get older and they are exposed to the world of celebrity weddings. Now they are dreaming of huge guest lists, imported flowers, famous chefs, million dollar rings and more.
Perfection
This wide sweeping expectation for extravagant weddings is on the top of every bride’s list. It is also completely unrealistic. Even celebrity weddings Continue reading “Are Celebrity Weddings Giving People Unrealistic Expectations of What a Wedding Should Be?”
History of Wedding Invitations
The History of Wedding Invitations – Announcing the Big Day through the Ages
Just about everyone can relate to this.
You’re going through the mail, stacking the bills on one side and the junk mail on the other side when all of the sudden you come across your name delicately scrawled in perfect handwriting across a soft pink or blue envelope.
Thinking that it could be a letter from your Great Aunt May, and hoping desperately that this isn’t just a ploy by a collection company to make you feel bright and cheery before dropping a lawsuit in your lap, you open the envelope very carefully. Continue reading “History of Wedding Invitations”