It’s been awhile!

Hello!!!!
I have been the worst at keeping up with my blog! I just realized I haven’t posted since June, which is a good thing because we have been so busy but a bad thing because I have so much to share it will be weeks before I get thru it all!!
For today I want to pass on this awesome piece of advice I saw on the net….
It’s titled the most Important Photos to take at your wedding and after reading it I couldn’t agree more.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-almasy/resolution_1_b_2761883.html

Keep checking back, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to stay more on top of this thing

Brooke

How much is too much?

fresh off my wonderful vacation with the hubby and la familial and ready to get back to work! I had nothing but downtime and relaxation for the past 2 weeks and it gave me plenty of time to think. One of the family topics that was covered was what to do about our upcoming anniversary. As you my readers know we have decided to throw out the idea of a big bash and instead do a low-key bbq and housewarming party ( low-key meaning 75+ guests!!!!). I broke the news to my fam and it was agreed that we were making the best decision for us but that got me thinking bout weddings in general and the question going round my brain is how much is too much? When does a wedding stop becoming a celebration of your new marriage and life together and start becoming a way to one up and impress people you haven’t seen in years. I sit in my office day in and day out and am inundated with nothing but wedding paraphanilia and I gotta tell you sometimes even I think it’s over the top and ridiculous. In 2007 the average cost of a wedding reception was 28,000$ twice the amount spent in 1990 and currently the wedding industry nets 161 billion dollars annually!! 28,000$ for an event that lasts 1 day just a mere 14 hours, to me that’s crazy and this is what I do for a living. People ask me all the time ” don’t you watch the wedding shows on t.v.”? Honestly, NO! I can’t stomach it. I have a hard time watching a girl spend 7,000$ on a dress she will wear for less than 8 hours or 45,000$ on a reception site. 200$ a person favors.. really! people are just going to throw it out! Don’t get me wrong I am not against spending some money to have a great wedding with good food and good drinks with the people you care about, but when you start to get into the 10’s of thousands maybe you should reconsider how better that money could be used like on your home or a tuition fund for you children. No marriage should begin with a massive amount of debt looming over your head. Remember the most important part of that day is the seriousness of the commitment you are making to one another, not the chaircover color being the exact same shade as the bridesmaids dresses.

Keep it in perspective!
Brooke

Wide world of flowers

Today’s topic is for girls like me, let’s call us “Brides on a budget”. If florals are what you envision in your centerpieces than below is a quick and easy color guide to let you know what’ sin season during the month of your wedding. If you stick to these flowers your budget with your florist will be significantly lower. Anytime you order florals that are out of season or not grown local your price can skyrocket! A helpful hint get pics of things you like and a color scheme you want then let your florist do the rest. Remember they are professionals in what they do and they have a better knowledge of flowers and what will and will not work well. I walked into my floral appointment and said I want flowers in a long low rectangle shaped vase and I want them in all blues and whites, that was the extent of my involvement with the florals. I trusted my florist knew better than I did and below is the finished product!

My table before it was set

Summer Flowers
Alstromeria- Orange, pink, yellow and cream
Chrysanthemum- White yellow, orange and pink
Gerber Daisies- Pink, yellow, orange, red and white
Hydrangea- White, blue, purple and pink
Statice- Purple
Sunflower- Yellow
Zinnia- Red, Orange and Pink

Fall Flowers
Aster- White and pink
Chrysanthemum- White, yellow, orange and pink
Dahlia- variety of colors
Statice- Purple
Zinnia- red, orange and pink

Winter Flowers
Amaryllis- Red and white
Bells of Ireland- Green
Poinsettia- Red and white
Ranunculus- white, pink, red/coral, lavender/purple
Tulip- Many colors
Jasmine- White

Spring Flowers
Anemone- Blue, red, pink, white
Casa Blanca Lily- White
Delphinium- White and blue
Peony- Pink or white
Sweetpea- white, pink, red/coral and lavender/purple
Hyacinth- Purple, Pink or white.

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The list above are just a start, for more info on seasonal flowers check out http://www.datehookup.com type in seasonal wedding flowers. They have a more complete list.
Most importantly find a florist who listens to your budget and trust them to do the rest!

Have fun!
Brooke

Help!!!!!!!!!

The day I married my best friend!

Dear readers,
I know I am still fairly new to this blogging thing and I am supposed to be a wedding pro but I have come across a question of my own that i just can’t seem to answer. My husband Shawn and I chose to do a small, quick wedding back in June, we got engaged in the end of March. There were a lot of reasons to why we didn’t want to wait more than a few months to get married and to why we wanted to do a small wedding ( think 20 people small). I will never regret that decision and that day was the best day of my life but we did give up certain things and missed out on a few moments. That being said it’s been expected that we have a reception on our 1 year anniversary so that we can celebrate with the guests that didn’t attend the ceremony and also it allows us the opportunity to get back special moments ( first dance, toasts ect..) that we missed the first time around. When we first discussed doing a small wedding we always intended to hold a large reception a year later, that was the plan! However after over half a year of marriage it is starting to seem unimportant. Things like buying a house and having a baby are more pressing issues and I am having a hard time justifying the money for a reception when I am a year deep in my marriage. The problem is all of our friends and family that weren’t invited to the ceremony already feel slighted and I don’t want to cause anymore hurt feelings then I already have. What to do in a situation like this?
I find myself at a loss and considering I almost always have the answer when it comes to this type of stuff I feel like I am traveling foreign waters.
Comments and suggestions are most appreciated especially if anyone who follows has been in a similiar situation, and to my family and friends please don’t hesitate to be honest.

Thanks for the help!
Brooke

Freebies!

Ah a new year! How I love the months of January thru March… Such a busy time of year for me! Typically our phone starts ringing non-stop on the 2nd of January and keeps on until the end of March. That means that we aren’t super busy in the ballrooms but crazy hectic in our office. I love being really busy at work nothing is worse than sitting at work twiddling your thumbs and wondering when 5 o’ clock is going to come.
I’m not sure if all halls are like us but typically we are busy because of the different booking specials we offer which brings around to my blog topic for today!
Don’t wait to book if you haven;t decided about a hall for your event for this year take advantage of the deals that you can get by booking January thur March. Most places typically want to encourage same year bookings so if you are planning something special for this year now is a good time to do the research and consider where you will be holding your event. Take advantage of the freebies that you can get when you put a deposit down during winter months. Think of this time of year like a fire sale for halls and venues and take advantage of the specials that they have to offer.
Good luck in your shopping and have fun planning whatever might be on your calendar for 2013!

Brooke

Tips Tuesday

Here’s my tip for today!

SHOP EARLY!!! LIKE AS IN JUNE!!!

I am a nutcase for going anywhere near a shopping store, mall ect… these last few days. Talk about a madhouse. I am pretty sure I almost got shot over a parking spot, I lost my pinkie toe in a shopping cart collision and lost the race for the next spot in line to a harassed looking older lady carting 2 crying toddlers and a sleeping infant. There was a moment where I reached for the same size medium sweater as another women and I am positive I saw her fangs come out… I let go of the shirt for fear of losing a few chunks of skin.

I should have started this months ago so I could avoid the absurdity known as Christmas shopping but I procrastinated as always and now I am paying the price ( in blood) for my horrific mistake.

So once again my tip for today…. shop for christmas early and avoid the stores in December.

Good luck and watch your limbs!

Brooke

On to the Holidays!

Obviously I have been unusually quiet lately! My apologies for the silence, in preparation for the holidays I got caught up in other things and have neglected my blog so here’s a few quick thoughts and suggestions for hosting a spectacular holiday get together!

#1 Food is key especially around the holidays whether you are trying something new or using a tried and true recipe make sure to plan ahead!! Shop a few days before your party to ensure you have the time to get all of the ingredients you need. Making a list (and yes checking it twice) cuts down on last-minute dashes to Meijers searching for stuff that you missed. Also consider the space that you are working in and the length of time each item needs to cook, if your kitchen is small like ours then plan for how to warm things while others are cooking and how much storage space you really have in your fridge for extras. Our kitchen has a lot of counters but isn’t that large and my fridge is about half the size of the one from Home Depot that I dream about so I always end up doing a fridge clean out before I throw a party just to ensure I have space to put everything!

#2 Need a few recipe ideas? Check out http://www.rachaelraymag.com/  Rachel Ray is one of my food hero’s and I tried a few of her recipes at Thanksgiving. The homemade Pecan Pie with Bourbon Vanilla ice ream went over like a house on fire and I loved her Sweet Mashed Potatoes recipe as well.

#3 Don’t go overboard with decorating (your table that is). The key to a great table is not only great decorations but plenty of space for food and drinks so keep it light and consider making or purchasing items that guests can take home with them so that you don’t end up with 15 poinsettia that you don’t need when the parties over.

#4 Entertainment!!!!  Hiring a DJ for a home party is not necessary however make sure you have something in mind to keep guests occupied other than food and drink… consider games (monopoly, scattegories, apples to apples) or if you’re like our friends after a couple of drinks everyone is a rock star so we bust out guitar hero and use the mic only for impromptu karaoke! Whatever it may be plan simple and fun things for people to do after the meal is over.

#5 Presents…. address this issue early, whether you are or are not giving gifts the guests should know what to expect before they come. So if you’re exchanging make sure they know what and how much to spend before they come. Nothing is worse than a guest arriving to a party unprepared so make sure you outline in your invites what’s to be expected. The same goes for dress code…make sure your guests know if it’s casual or dressy so that they are comfortable when they arrive.

Above all else have fun, be safe and enjoy!

Brooke

 

Tips Tuesday

Here’s my tip for today… GO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!

Make your voice heard!!!!!!!

 

Happy Voting

Brooke

If you dare!!!!

Who says a wedding dress has to be white? Below are my top 5 picks for black wedding dresses! I thought this would be fitting since today is Halloween!!!!  I have done a Halloween themed wedding and I wholeheartedly believe that it can be accomplished without being cheesy, gutsy yes! cheesy? not necessarily. Check out the options below and keep an open mind, remember with an all black dress it can definitely be worn again!

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Brooke

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