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During the process, each one of my clients puts their own little stamp on me. They become a part of me, like a ring or a pair of glasses - they are always there. More times than not, I live my clients weddings like they were my own. I want the absolute best for them. It's business - and it's personal. I strive to get them what they want because it makes not only them, but me feel good.

That's what it's about for me. Realizing others' dreams, internalizing them, and making them my own. Helping the dream come alive - take shape - and be everything my couples' want them to be.

Take a look at the awesome weddings I have had the opportunity to take a part.

And it is for that - that I am greatful!

Lisa

Music by:

Con Te Patiro-Bocelli

Love Walks In-Van Halen

Half Acre-HEM

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Weddings as unique as you are!

There are so many ways you can make your wedding as unique as you are. I wanted to review some ideas that will help you put the "F" in FABULOUS!

Dress shopping is one of the best parts of the wedding planning process - in my humble opinion. You get to try on beautiful dresses - it's almost like playing princess. I advise my clients to try on a number of dresses - even those that they cannot really afford. Not only is it fun, but gives you alternative cuts and fabrics that may look great on your body type. Based on what looks best on you, you can create your dream dress with your dream fabric for just a fraction of the cost.

This dress was personally designed a few years ago (2002). A Romona Kevenza gown was the inspiration for this particular dress. The original dress was polyester and cut A-symmetrically in the bodice. This cut wasn't particularly suitable for the Bride's body type. This dress was made with silk satin, and we cut the bodice straight across and folded it over. Like the Romona gown, this gown is a simple A-line. This gown is a simple dress that was beautiful in 2002 and is still beautiful in 2009. In 2002, the Romona gown sold for $2,500.00. This unique silk dress, made specifically for the bride, a beautiful bolero jacket (made with the same silk), and a cathedral length veil (which was trimmed in the silk fabric) sold for $2,000.00.

For the men - we have alternatives as well. In days past and present tuxes was the attire of choice. Fortunately, these days, we have a lot more choice. We often encourage men to consider suits. It's very practical. Men can buy a nice suit, that they can accessorize with a nice silk tie, in the wedding colors of choice. As a gift, you can purchase the tie for your groomsmen and best man. These days, almost everyone has a nice black suit and black shoes in the wardrobe, and your men will appreciate not having to rent a tux and shoes.

Of course, you can opt to have suits made as well - and is often a great choice for the professional groom who has a need for a new suit in his professional life.

Lastly, I wanted to give you an idea for a subtle but nice touch on your reception that's different than the more standard round tables with a centerpiece in the middle-look. We love to do alternative things that will make your reception unique for you and your guests. We love to use
a combination of square and round tables to create a unique look and texture. In the picture on the left, we simply covered square and round tables with floor length ivory linens to create a very classy alternative. We are also in the process of designing a fabulous Baltimore wedding with rectangular tables that we cannot wait to show you in the next few months!

I hope we have given you just a few ideas on how you can create an event that is as unique as you are!

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We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with such fabulous couples! We are lucky to have had such awesome clients, and continue to have and meet glorious couples. It is our great pleasure to have been a participant in such wonderful weddings!

We look forward to serving our past, present and future clients!

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Wishpot.com

The golden standard of online registries, create a registry with items from anywhere on the web. Go to Wishpot to find out how simple it can be. All you do is sign up for an account and download the Wishpot widget. Once the widget is added to your tool bar, you are ready to go. You can go anywhere on the web and add anything you want! It's that easy.

The advantage to Wishpot is that you are not limited to just one store. Add items from Bloomingdales, The John Deer Store, Williams-Sonoma, Macy's, Neimens, Pottery Barn, Amazon - where ever. Just give your guests your Wishpot registry address on your 'save the date' cards.

Waste Not-Want Not

I know I have alluded to this in past entries, but I think it’s important enough to mention again. It’s all of our responsibility to protect the environment, be mindful of waste, and be socially responsible. Additionally, in these tough financial times, I think most would be interested in saving some dough! Of course, like everyone, I too have my hang-ups! When it comes to the wedding budget, I help my clients prioritize and define where they want to spend their money. Same holds true being conservative on waste, choosing items that are environmentally friendly, and offering budget friendly ideas. Many of my clients want to conserve on certain aspects of their wedding, but also, like us, don’t want to completely say “bye-bye” to all those beautiful extras. We guide our clients in where to conserve and give them ideas on how to do so, while maintaining the look and feel of the wedding. So, that’s what I want to do. I want to discuss just a few areas where you can conserve and give you great resources on how to do so.



Favors – Anyone who knows us, knows that we are not fond of wedding favors. We have had couples offer favors, and we have had couples not offer favors. In our experience favors offer nothing to the event. I did not conduct a scientific study, but it seems to me that the guests not getting the favors were just as happy, and felt just as loved. Surprisingly, 95% of the time, the favors are left behind, for me to pick up and throw in the trash.

If you do not like the idea of going without favors, and many couples do, Why not put your money towards something important? There are a few charity registries in which you can donate money to a charity that’s important to you. You could donate the money in your or your guests’ names. What’s better gift than giving back on your wedding day? This way, you are giving your guest something that’s meaningful to both to you and to them. www.idofoundation.org is an excellent resource. They will allow you to not only create a foundational favor registry, but also will allow you to create a gift registry as well.

Transportation – I don’t know about any of you, but I hate buying gas. Wedding transportation is one of those sticky situations in my mind. One, couples want to get to and from their wedding in style. Limos are the standard choice, but this may be an area where you can cut down significantly. Many couples are opting to get married at a location that offers the ceremony and reception at one location. One huge advantage to this is that everyone can “get there” and you do not have to hire specialty cars and such. For those where their ceremony and reception sites are in different locations, you can opt not to transport the wedding party, cutting down on limos, gas, and cost. Often times, wedding party members and/or their dates have their own cars (rental or otherwise) that they can use and you can use your money to rent a classic car – or better yet – hire an hourly airport shuttle. The Lincoln town car will cost you less, and offer you one way transport (rather than the expensive 3-4 hour minimums that most limo companies offer).

Horsepower is a nice way to come and go in style – and better yet, no gas consumption. How about contacting a valet company to drive you in a hybrid or electric car? There are many options and many possibilities that are “green” and budget friendly, and not take away from the elegance of the day!

A few small changes by many couples add up to a lot of energy and money savings!
Happy planning!

Unique Wedding Ideas

Little touches can make a huge impact on your wedding day. I want to suggest some unique ideas that will not only add personalized touches to your big day, but also make your wedding stand out from the rest!

This is great for a fall wedding. This very simple program, printed on a earthy vellum overlaying ivory card stock, says "less is more". It's fashioned together with string and a thick piece of twine, and is very easy to create. This vellum with it's earthy hues are perfect for a fall wedding or natural themed event.

Are you having a New England style reception, a more casual picnic style wedding, or a country themed reception? Longaberger baskets make the perfect addition. Just dump the centerpiece flowers in a basket for a more country feel. The smaller baskets would also work very well on the ends of chairs.

With a basket you can easily add cute details, or perhaps make a table number/table name, and hook it directly onto the basket with a nice coordinating ribbon. Easy!

Candlelight makes any event romantic. I love using candles, even at daytime weddings. There is something very special about candlelight and weddings. Typically couples place 3-4 clear votives surround. There are so many simple things that you can do to clear votive holders to dress them up and make them pretty.

I love this idea. It actually came from my 5 year old! We pasted tissue paper on a clear votive holder, and voila - the look was transformed! Amazingly, it put out beautiful light with a tea light or regular votive candle! You can really have fun with this. You could create some fun mosaic patterns. You could use a solid color. You could also use parchment paper, print your names and wedding date on and fashion it around the votive holder - ala Martha. This way, you can use the votive as a place card, favor, and centerpiece decoration all in one! WOW!

I also love wine glasses, and love to see the light reflected off of them. If you get a colored votive, put it in a wine glass, it creates a beautiful and different look.

Here I have used a stemless glass, but it works just as well with a stemmed glass. You could also use these as decoration on the cake or buffet tables. Stemmed glasses with votives also work very well in window sills.

I have used a colored votive and holder, but you could also use a clear or white votive and a colored glass.

I have also arranged some mums in a jar. I'm not by any means a florist, but I thought this was an interesting concept. I kept the Classico label, but you could take it off, or surround the jar with paper, foil, tissue paper or whatever! The possibilities are limitless. You could also use a clear jar, and fill it with sea shells, marbles, or submerge orchids. As it's pictured, this arrangement (label on) would be a great centerpiece idea for an Italian themed wedding. The name of each table could be different types of pasta sauces. For example, Prego!

For a really romantic look - rent votives. They come in a variety of colors, shapes and styles. The light that they emit is absolutely gorgeous! This particular votive is beaded, but you could do some really cool things yourself. For instance, you could use simple beads to spell out your initials on the glass (or maybe the first letter of your last name)or your wedding date. For a seaside theme, use sea shells!

I hope some of these wacky ideas have inspired you to think creatively about your wedding.