Building my brooch bouquet

I finally started putting together my brooch bouquet. Let me start off saying that I'm no where near the number of brooches that I'll need for the final product, but my ADD was getting to me and I needed to start doing something.

So first, you'll need a brooch (obviously):

I found this one at JC Penney for $7.00 You'll need some florist wire and some needle nose pliers to pull and twist the wire to make it secure

Slide the wire through the back of the pin....you may need the needle nose pliers to pull the end of the wire through

Once you pull the wire through, wrap the wire around itself to make it sturdy. It should be tight enough so that if you hold the wire, the brooch stays flat and doesn't fall over to one side or the other

Continue wrapping the wire around itself all the way down the stem of the wire.

Once its wrapped and sturdy, begin wrapping the floral tape tightly around the wire. Pull the tape tight so it sticks well to itself. It should look like the completed one on the right.

I've only completed 8 or 9 so far...got a long way to go!! Here's the first glimpse of my brooch bouquet!! I can't wait to complete it.

This process of building my bouquet is extremely rewarding and a creative distraction from all the wedding planning stress. I love looking at different stores for pins and rings that I can use for my bouquet.

Back to my bouquet...talk to you soon!

Dealing with Debbie Downer

So you're all excited that you're getting married. You've got the magazines, the planner, the sticky notes, different color pens, bookmarked websites and the whole shebang. Plenty of people come to you asking different questions about the wedding. What flowers have you picked out? What are your colors? Have you decided on favors? People even randomly give you suggestions and recommendations on things to look at or try out.

But inevitably, there's one person who could really care less about your upcoming wedding. We'll call her Debbie Downer.

Debbie is mildly interested in your wedding. She'll half listen when you tell her about wedding venues and pricing. She'll briefly look at samples and pictures that you find on different websites and simply give a "that's nice" to anything you show her. After a while, she won't have an opinion at all about any ideas that you bring to her and usually offer up "it's your wedding...you should pick what you like".

Several things may be going on that are reasons why Debbie is the way she is. She could be disappointed that things aren't going well in her own relationship and thus cannot share in your happiness. She could think that you're being extremely frivolous and may not agree in spending money on weddings and think you're going overboard with the planning process. She could be jealous that you're getting married.

Whatever the reason is, recognize who your Debbie Downer is and limit the conversations concerning your wedding with her. By continuing to discuss your plans with someone that does not genuinely have your best interest at heart, it could discourage you from living out the wedding of your dreams.

Surround yourself with people that care about you and that can tell you the honest truth and want nothing more than for you to be happy.

Replace Debbie Downer with Susie Sunshine and keep planning that big day!

What are your colors?

This is probably one of the first questions a planner, coordinator, decorator, etc...will ask you.

There are numerous websites that you can go to to get inspiration about colors. My first thought was that I like pink. Matter of fact, I love pink. Pink is my signature color! (please read that as Julia Roberts playing Shelby in Steel Magnolias)

Anyway...so I knew I wanted pink in there, but didn't know what other colors. I consulted a few friends and family and decided on pink and chocolate. I was happy until I realized that my wedding would be in late summer and those colors really seemed like a late fall color combination. So the search began!

I scoured over color combinations for weeks. I came up with so many different combinations that I began to not like anything. Then I went to Florida for vacation. As I was walking on the beach looking at the clear blue ocean, it hit me. Coral, blue, khaki and some sort of pink-ish color. Now to find what I want.

Listed below are different samples that I've come up with. I'll narrow down my decision this week.

Feel free to comment!

Planners, Coordinators, Decorators....oh my!

Planners are plentiful these days. It seems like everyday someone else has decided to get into the wedding/event planning business. I've even considered it over the last few years. With so many options to choose from, how does a Bride decide?
Let me walk you through my journey....
I'm getting married! Yay!! Now the big question is...what theme have you chosen? What are your colors? What are you wanting for that day?
So many important questions and decisions to make.

Some Brides choose the wedding planner route. Think Jennifer Lopez in the Wedding Planner. You choose a planner have a few meetings to get to know each other and then this person is entrusted to plan and execute one of the most important days of your life. A planner to handle the entire event, which means that they're calling around to vendors and choosing items for you to make the final call on can cost anywhere from $1500 - $6000 (depending on wedding size and budget).

Some Brides know what they want, know how to get it, are incredibly organized (and probably a little OCD/anal retentive) and don't really need a lot of help planning. They will however need a coordinator for that day. A coordinator can cost anywhere from $400 - $1000 (depending on wedding size and budget).

Some Brides are total DIY. They don't need a coordinator or a consultant or a decorator. They're probably baking the cake themselves because they may not trust someone else to get it perfect. Going it alone is free...although the therapy you'll need afterward may be costly.

I fall in the middle. I'm a do-over Bride (term recently borrowed from Neicy Nash). I've walked down the aisle before and I've planned a wedding before. I know what I want and what I don't want. I'm organized and sticking to a schedule. I will however need help on that day with coordinating vendors and the logistics of the ceremony/reception. So, I begin to look for a coordinator.

Now...that's not an easy task. You may think that it would be. All I need is someone to be there, hand out envelopes to vendors, tell someone else to place a chair here and a table there and cue the musicians when its time. To find a person that can handle this isn't easy. There are family members that will tell you "girl...I can do it! Just tell me what you need me to do" that might be okay, but you know that this person isn't the most reliable person in the world. Or you have a friend that plans parties/events/etc...that says "girl...I can do it! Just tell me what you need me to do" and that might be okay but you know from their events that you two have different tastes and that she's never on time for anything. That could be a big problem.

So you begin to look elsewhere. Internet, local bridal magazines, bridal shows, facebook, twitter, church...anywhere.

Once you find a listing of coordinators, interview them. Don't just choose someone based off of a referral. Ask to see pictures of events that they have done. Ask them what they can offer you. Ask them what events have not gone according to plan and how did they handle it. For myself, I'm having an outdoor, evening wedding. Its important to me that whoever coordinates my event has some experience in dealing with the elements.
Its also important to me to have a connection with a person and feel like they "get" my vision and they're excited for me.

I've got a few coordinators that i'm interviewing and hope to make a decision by the end of the week.

Stay tuned for the announcement!

Inspiration Boards

What is an inspiration board?

An inspiration board helps you narrow down your wedding look and to be able to accurately convey your dream or "vision" to vendors and consultants.

Many wedding planning websites offer templates and instructions on how to create an inspiration board. Very simply, you take pictures and arrange them in a way that inspires you. I created one in powerpoint and then saved it as a jpg file and uploaded it to the blog.

Here's what inspires me for my up-coming wedding:

My colors are coral, aqua, khaki and a pink that I haven't yet found a name for (I may just eliminate it altogether).

I'm wanting a romantic, classic, yet simple wedding. It's a late afternoon/evening wedding. I'm still on the hunt for more ideas and as I find them...I'll post them.

Let's see what happens!