I Do. . . Weddings!

Think Pink

2007-10-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and as women, it is our duty to keep the cause prominent within each community we work and serve. We have lost far too many mothers, sisters, daughters and friends to this disease. Participate in your area's annual walk, donate to the drive at work or school or volunteer at your local hospital or Susan G. Komen foundation. As brides, you can go a step further and set up a donation registry in lieu of a gift registry, this is a perfect idea for couple living together prior to getting married. Alternatively, as favors, you can make donations in the name of each of your guests.

No matter what you do, remember the cause and support reseach for the cure.

The Sweetest Things

2007-09-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

I had a recent wedding where the bride was a grade school music teacher and she invited her students to come and sing at the ceremony. They were awesome and their little voices filled the church with angelic sounds. Most of all, coordinating and guiding them was by far much easier than my experience with organizing some adults in a wedding party. It was truly a joy to see them. I was insoired to write an entry about children in weddings and how their role is not only to be cute but also add sparkle and a bit of innocent joy to the day. Most importantly, children also represent youth, vitality, hope and the future, all the ingredients of a new marriage!

Autumn Wedding

2007-09-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

Labor Day is over and with it, so goes the unofficial end of summer! Fall is so sweet and crisp, it is my second favorite season after summer. I love the leaves, the crisp dew and the Indian summers that also accompany the season. In weddings, fall can mean something altogether different and special. The season allows you to play up it's rich colors such as warm merigolds, hearty burnt oranges and full deep browns. This season is truly a rich with color and ideas for a great wedding. Play up the harvest season with the floral arrangements and even the food, serving such delicious courses and drinks as the butternut squash soup and apple cider martinis.

The wedding is a great place to play fall!

Let Them Eat Cake!!!!

2007-08-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

No Marie Antionette has not been resurrected! But I must certainly spill my guts and let you know that one of my favorite parts of planning any wedding is the cake tasting sessions. Yes I know they are not good for you but it is a serious guilty pleasure to which I must confess. In my experience in planning weddings, each cake has shown some side of the couple it is representing, the fruit filling, a favorite of the bride's or a reminder of the groom's grandmother's country home. The white chocolate frosting, a snow bunny's winter mountain in the middle of summer. In comings and goings with brides, I have encountered so many. But here are two standouts I want to bring to your attention, The chocolate raspberry above has a smooth and velvty taste sure to seal any wedding and reception with a kiss and set the foundation for a sweet marriage. The other is cultural and not yet a big hit in the US, but given the rate change in wedding trends, it just may be a norm in a couple of seasons. Mexican wedding cakes are more like sweet little cookies covered with white confectioner's sugar. What I find most interesting about these delicacies is that they closely mirror the original wedding cake. Yes, the original from centuries ago. During Medieval times, wedding guests were given firm to hard sweet cakes to through at the bride and groom as they exited the church en route home. The bread represented fertitlity and the sweet taste served as a meaure for good marriage.

The Registry Revisited

2007-08-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

The original purpose of the bridal registry was to help a couple "set up house" as they moved in together and began their new lives. A fine dining set when the in-laws visited or as a compliment to the holiday meal. Pots and pans to fill the kitchen and make hearty meals. Of course, you can't forget bedding and bathroom towels. These are all essentials to get newlyweds on the road to building a happy home.

Our values have changed since the dawn of the original idea of the registry. With so many couples co-habitating prior to the engagement and even larger numbers of people postponing marriage until their mid-thirties, most newlyweds have the basic essentials to set up a fully functioning home prior to reaching the altar. This change in attitude and behaviors will ultimately lead to new registry ideas.

One new trend is to ask guests to make donations in your name to your favorite charity or cause. National charities such as the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the International Red Cross provide assistance and direction for couples interested in a donation registry.

Still some brides are using to registry to reinvent their homes or expand on well established home war chest. Luxury items like the serving bowl above, available at www.bloomingdales.com and nifty gadgets like the easy read thermometer, available at www.williamssonoma.com provide variety and make a great conveersation piece for entertaining in your post matrimonial kitchen.

Your registry like your wedding, should be uniquely you!

2007 Runway Collections

2007-08-16T21:16:00.001-07:00

Wedding fall fashions have hit the runway in a big way. Designers have added more distinction to this season’s line up. Not just the basic white that was all so popular just a couple of seasons ago. Hot runway items are taking cues from other fashion lines. I noticed in a few designers, while maintaining clean lines and traditional shapes, the devil is seriously in the details.

Many gowns in the Badgley Mischka’s fall collection are adorned with rich details such as crystal and pearl studding along the bodice and necklines. Impressive attention is given to the design making the embellishment look like, well embellishments and not cumbersome add-ons. As a result the line is flawless and chic. The collection also offers classic body hugging A-line gowns this season.

Reem Acra's fall collection goes a step further and adds lush metallics to its well placed details. While the details remain largely centralized within the bodice region of the gowns, Acra does a great job of splashing metallic frosting throughout the gowns adding a flavor of vibrancy.

This year's fall collection will certainly have brides going gaga. Until next season!

Re-Enter Stage Left

2007-08-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

I am back! I have been gone far too long! Thanks for being loyal and looking for new posts those of you out in cyberspace. There has been much to tell in the last nine months! Well I have been busy with some weddings and I even participated in a a few shows within the industry. Given we are in the midst of wedding season and the summer movie season, let me share with you some of my favorite wedding themed shows:

In no particular order:

Father of the Bride (1950)
Father of the Bride (1991)
Wedding Crashers
Muriel's Wedding
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Mosoon Wedding

I even liked the scene in Fried Green Tomatoes where the wedding takes place in the house!

Enjoy the rest of summer!

All About Weddings

2006-10-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

On your mark, get set go. . .

2006-10-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

Brides to be! Engagement season is upon us! So to get a headstart on the planning process, check out the checklist below.

WEDDING CHECK LIST

Nine to twelve months before

□ Start gathering ideas about the type of wedding you want. Think about the size, time of year or whether it will be formal or casual.
□ Set a budget.
□ Hire a wedding coordinator if desired.
□ Set a wedding date.
□ Send out save the date cards.

Six to nine months before

□ Complete a guest list. Make sure you have the complete and correct addresses for your guest.
□ Choose your attendants.
□ Start shopping for your dress and accessories (veil, jewelry, and shoes).
□ Book a celebrant.
□ Book a caterer.
□ Order wedding cake.
□ Book florist.
□ Book music for ceremony and reception.
□ Book photographer and videographer.
□ Plan and book honeymoon.

□ Reserve rental equipment (chairs, tables, tents etc.).

Four to six months before

□ Arrange wedding day transportation.
□ Order stationery and book a calligrapher.
□ Register for gifts.
□ Purchase wedding rings.
□ Reserve groom’s attire.
□ Choose attendants’ attire.
□ Purchase bridal lingerie.
□ Order favors.
□ Book a room for wedding night.
□ Choose gifts for wedding party.
□ Reserve accommodations for out-of-town guests.
□ Sign up for dance lessons.

Two to four months before

□ Discuss details of menu with your caterer.
□ Go over the service with your officiant.
□ Arrange any premarital classes a required by your faith.
□ Choose readings for the ceremony.
□ Write your wedding vows.
□ Schedule rehearsal time and rehearsal dinner.
□ Try out make-up and hairstyle.
□ Mail invitations.
□ Write thank you notes as gifts arrive.

One to two months before

□ Discuss picture list with photographer.
□ Meet with musical entertainment go over play list.
□ Buy guest book.
□ Have programs printed.
□ Apply for marriage license and other legal requirements.
□ Contact local newspapers to print your wedding announcement.
□ Complete change of address information at the post office.
□ Begin the name change process, if you intend to do so.

Two weeks before

□ Have a final dress fitting with shoes, accessories and lingerie.
□ Confirm arrangements with florist.
□ Begin seating plan and write place cards.
□ Give the caterer a guest count.
□ Write toasts for rehearsal dinner and wedding reception.
□ Address announcements.
□ Break in wedding shoes at home.
□ Designate someone to look after your home while you are on your honeymoon.
□ Arrange welcome baskets for out of town guests.

One week before
□ Finalize seating plan.
□ Assign specific responsibilities, such as handing out corsages and boutonnieres, to members of your wedding party.
□ Pick up your wedding dress.
□ Confirm details with caterer, entertainment, florists, photographer and other vendors.
□ Confirm honeymoon arrangements, and give your itinerary to a friend or family member in case of emergency.
□ Pack for honeymoon.
□ Update caterer with final guest and vendor meal counts.

The day before

□ Confirm transportation arrangements for ceremony and reception.
□ Give announcements to an attendant for mailing after the wedding.
□ Have manicure and pedicure.
□ Rehearse the ceremony.
□ Hold a rehearsal dinner; give gifts to wedding party. If you choose give gifts to parents to thank them for their support.

□ Prepare tip and payment envelopes for officiant and vendors, and make arrangements for the best man to distribute them.

The day of
□ Relax and enjoy yourself.
□ Be sure to eat.
□ Complete bridal party hair and make-up; mother of the bride and bride should be last.
□ Take pre-ceremony photos.

No Ordinarys Days

2006-09-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have a cousin who was born November 24, 1963, at the exact moment in which Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed. The family legend has always been that, while watching the news on a television at the maternity ward nurse's station of St. Eugene's Hospital in Dillon, SC, a young nurse screamed just as Jack Ruby's bullet pierced Oswald's skin. My Aunt Pat, already in labor for some 20 hours before, jumped, my cousin Glenda pushed forth and took her first breath. Two days prior my aunt was in that very same hospital with false labor pains when she learned of President Kennedy's assassination. So for as long as I can remember, Aunt Pat has always told us, like so many other Americans, she remembers exactly where she was on that day in November 1963; making it no ordinary day.

When I was in high school I took a job at a McDonald's in a nearby mall. Normally I took the bus to work but there were days when my mother drove me. On every occasion, we would get to the light just before the entrance of the mall and my mother would look at me, point to the gas station at the light and say "I was standing right there when I learned Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated." And, oddly enough, I could imagine my 23 year-old fresh faced mother's look of horror and grief as she heard the news. In telling me, she herself seemed to be transplanted back in time as she remembered day in June 1968; making it no ordinary.

Today as our nation remembers September 11, 2001, a new generation slowly and silently recalls where it was when fateful moment in time divided history making a clear demarcation of before and after, pre and post, prior to and since 9/11. We all remember, but we all go forward with more strength and resolve than ever.

LaTasha On The Rocks

2006-09-11T03:49:00.000-07:00

An introduction (of sorts)

2006-09-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Well this is the first post of my blog! Right now, I am planning my niece's birthday party. She is going to be 9 in November so the theme is "Cloud 9" and the colors are pink and green. When you have an aunt who is a professional event planner, then your 9th birthday party can not be like that of any other kid on the block. The party will be held at the Paterson Museum, which has Samuel Colt's original revolver, a replica of John Holland's submarine and the original silk mills in the Paterson Silk Factories. I will keep you posted on that. Until then. . . . . .