Let's Get This Party Started!

I believe your wedding planner and your DJ and/or band are the two key players to ensuring a fabulous event. Your wedding reception is the biggest party you'll ever throw. It's a time of celebration! Your wedding planner's role is to pull all of the elements together to work on your behalf to perform like a well oiled machine. Your DJ or band, will get and hopefully keep the celebration going. Therefore the person(s) you select to do this will make all the difference in how your party of a lifetime unfolds. Knowing how to get your people up on the dance floor is a must. You don't want to worry about getting your reluctant guests up on the dance floor on your wedding day. Your DJ or band leader must know how to interact with the crowd and get them involved. Certainly knowing what to play is important, but also knowing when to play it is key to a successful party. Timing is a must! The point here is understanding that there is more involved in choosing a DJ or band and trusting that they'll play all your favorite tunes from your playlist. They should how to read your crowd and know when to pump up the volume.

How Sweet It Is

Happy Birthday To Me!

I'm 21...again. I must confess, it feels better the second time around :-)

Style, Grace, Class...Defined!

It’s no secret that I love Oprah Winfrey, but I must admit that Michelle Obama has pushed Oprah into second place as my new obsession. Michelle is the epidemy of style, grace and class. She ooses sophistication and commands respect. I love that even though she is just as intelligent, charismatic, and powerful in her own right, she steps back and let’s her husband shine. As Oprah would say….Love That! So today I’d like to honor my new BFF Michelle Obama…America’s new First Lady and the love of our President’s life.

I'm Feeling The Love

I feel honored. My collegue at For Your Event Planning, recently awarded me with some blog luv! Its a wonderful thing to be recognized by your readers and peers. I'd like to spread the love by nominating the following bloggers and letting them know I appreciate their work. Thank you all for keeping me inspired!

Honorees please follow these instructions and share the LUV!

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received the award.

Randi @Always Fabulous Events
Deidre @Always A Positive Image
Erika @E-vents
LaKendra @Affairs With Elegance
Katasha @K Sherrie + Company
Isis @Posh Events LLC
Tish @Pink Tea Rose Events
Tere @At Your Wish EPDS
Pershama @A Dailey Event
Gabrielle @Faire La Fete

Breakfast At Tiffany's Anyone? - Inspiration Board #5

Hail To The Cheif!

We love you Mr. President, and we are praying for you and your family. You make us proud.

Sneak Preview "Unique Wedding Invitation"

Check out this great idea I found over on J.Bailey Occasions. I fell in love with this cool Save the Date card, which is designed to look like a movie premier poster, featuring guess who? That's right, you the happy couple. Trust me your guests will not toss this aside or forget where they put it. It's absolutley a wonderful concept, especially for couples who are movie buffs.

The Rules of Engagement - (Engaging a Wedding Planner, That Is)

As a Wedding Planner it is my job to see to it that you have a flawless wedding. But let's face it, there is no such thing as flawless, at least not in the world of wedding planning. The harsh but true reality is that some things will not go according to plan. However, as a professional planner (and I stress professional), my job is to operate under the assumption that the best plan is plan B and in some cases, C, D and F, so that no one will ever be the wiser that catastrophe prevention is taking place behind the scenes. Therefore it seems to me that when thinking about hiring a wedding planner, the question should not be if you should hire one, but rather what you should be considering in the planner you do choose to hire.

Rule #1 Be Sure To Hire A Planner Whose Personality Compliments Your Own
Simply put, you should like your planner. Generally speaking, your planner will spend hours with you as you go through the planning process together. You want to make sure this time is spent with someone you get along with, someone who understands your vision for your day, and someone you trust, which brings me to rule #2

Rule #2 Trust Your Wedding Planner’s Judgment
Although each wedding is different, yours is not the first wedding your planner has planned. Because she or he is a skilled professional, they will be able to determine what will and will not work to make your wedding day run smoothly. Trust their judgment and suggestions. After all, their expertise in executing beautiful events is one of the benefits of hiring a professional wedding planner.

Rule #3 Communicate Your Vision and Make Sure Your Wedding Planner Is On The Same Page, and Does Not Have Their Own Agenda
You have been dreaming of this day forever, so it's important to be able to articulate the vision you have for the most important day of your life. Your planner should not dismiss your wishes or push her own ideas. Of course, there will be times when your planner will make suggestions that based on her experience will help things to run smoother, but those suggestions should be made to make what you have envisioned better, not different.

Rule #4 Be Realistic In Your Expectations
Although your planner is working for you and on your behalf, you are not her only client. Also remember, your planner has a life outside of planning your wedding. Calling her 50 times a day or at unacceptable hours because you can't make up your mind about where to seat your favorite aunt is not a realistic expectation of what the role of a wedding planner is.

Rule #5: Make Sure You Are Ready, Willing, and Able To Relinquish Some of the Control
By this I mean, let your planner do the job you hired her/him to do. So often brides hire a planner and then proceed to do all the work themselves. If you wish to do the planning, my suggestion would be for you to do it, and bring in a Day-Of -Coordinator to carry out the plans you have made for your wedding day.

To avoid a situation where planning your wedding becomes a nightmare and your wedding planner is featured as Freddy (from "Nightmare on Elm Street"), keep these "rules of engagement" in mind when seeking the assistance of a wedding planner to help make your day an Affair To Remember!

Selecting Your Attendants

A word of caution here, keep in mind that those who stand with you on your wedding day are a representation of you. Please choose your attendants with care. Be cautious about choosing out of obligation or duty. You'll want to select people who love you and have your best interest at heart, and you'll need to have people who are supportive, reliable and willing to lend a helping hand. This sounds like a no brainer, but you'd be surprised at the ugliness that rears its head during the planning: jealousy, sabotage, and the oh so familiar premadona attitudes. Questions to ask yourself when making your choice:
Why am I asking this person to stand up with me at my wedding?
What part of my life has s/he shared?
Will I be happy (or irritated) by this person's presence?

The bottom line is to choose people who you have shared your life with, those who live in your heart and share your dreams for a life of love and happiness.