A Day Remembered

Jack Rabbit Ranch Wedding

2011-11-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

If ever I had the chance to have a wedding again this might be the place to do it! I had the honor of coordinating this fun, down-to-earth wedding for Erika and Michael. Their love of family and all things related to it was the theme of this love filled day. Add that to a rustic, western yet down right beautiful theme and it was perfection. Let me share with you a few detail pics that awesome Rebecca from Love Spell photography captured for me!

Look for more photos on the website coming soon!! Just wait til you see the gorgeous Bride and other fun elements of this wedding!

To plan or not to plan...that is the question!!

2011-10-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Do you need to hire a planner? That depends... on YOU, on your available free time, stress-level, patience, creativity or lack thereof, expertise with vendor contracts, list of dependable vendors, a background in etiquette, expertise in budgeting, an overall interest, and much more.Here are some guidelines to help you decide if you should hire a planner.
You may want to hire a planner if... you don't want this to be you on your wedding day! or.......

You need help with organizing, coordinating and planning your overall event plan.
You have the vision but don’t know where to start or pull it all together.
You want someone else to deal with the hassles of vendor research, coordinating activities, creating timelines, hundreds of details and more.
You want the fun of picking all the big details but don’t have time or don’t want to do the small tedious stuff
You want to have an organized dream wedding day but don't have your own list of reliable vendors and resources to pull it all together.
Since you’ve never planned an event before you haven’t worked with an array of vendors to know their styles, prices and personalities (believe it or not personalities are almost as important as their product or pricing)
You and your significant other can't seem to agree on anything for your wedding.
You need a neutral 3rd party perspective to make the best decision to make the vision come true
You want some personalization but not sure how to incorporate it into the wedding.
Your loves and likes are unique and you need direction to pull that owl or pink or pirate fetish you have into the details of your wedding and make it flow.
You want something different and fabulous.
All you’ve seen are standard traditional weddings or over the top “Tutera” styled ones on TV. You want something in between but uniquely “you” and you don’t know what to do or where to start
You have little or no free time to coordinate, make phone calls, do research.
You are busy and stressed. Adding wedding planning will send you over the edge
You feel completely overwhelmed by the number of choices and decisions to make.
You need someone to streamline the decisions and allow you to make a better decision based on a neutral perspective
You're tired of buying things for the wedding here and there without an overall plan.
The hodge podge of items you have acquired seem like they won’t flow. You need someone to pull it all together into a cohesive plan.
You just don't know where to start with your wedding planning.
With all the areas needed to be planned you need direction and a timeline to decrease the stress of being overwhelmed
You have a vision and would like a planner to help you make it a reality!

Now maybe you will be able to decide whether or not you need a planner or day-of coordinator to walk beside you and allow your wedding to become one that you have dreamed of!

Lavender Fields and Clouds

2011-07-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

May 29th, the Sunday of memorial day weekend, in normally sunny Cherry Valley, California I had the pleasure of working a beautiful wedding. All day it threatened to rain and it was freezing...(ok, not exactly but it was in the 60's) although a plan B for rain was in the back of our minds, the bride didn't want a tent reception or ceremony, so with tons of prayers and good vibes we went ahead with the outdoor plans! It remained cold but didn't rain and the clouds made for some striking photos. Josselyn Peterson took the pics and I'll let her tell you the story of the Lavender fields and cloudy wedding!

Highland Springs Resort is such a beautiful venue and has many different types of landscape to choose from. The ceremony was in the lavender fields, just a few weeks shy from full bloom, while the reception was on their Great Lawn. The olive grove is spectacular!

Venue: Highland Springs Resort
Photographer: josselynpeterson.com
Florist: phillip warren & jolene hillard
Wedding planner: A Day Remembered

Beautiful Retro wedding at the Mitten!

2011-07-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

Retro weddings are so fun to plan and when you double that with the best couple around it was a ball! (ok, that dates me! ) The pairing of architectural interest with beautiful flowers made for a beautiful wedding. I think maybe I should let the photo's of Okeefe Photography tell the fun story! The Mitten Building is located in Redlands, Ca. right next to the old train tracks and depot.

From her vintage style Justin Alexander dress to the typewriter and old window menu board this wedding had you stepping back in time!

The First Look...... walking down the old train platform..Love this retro feel, don't you?

Overall such a great fun wedding to plan! Thanks to Amy and Alex the newlyweds!

Venue: the Mitten Building, Redlands, CA
Photography: Okeefe Photography
Flowers: The Fleur De Lis studio Bob Luna
Catering: The Farm Artisan, Redlands, CA
Wedding planning: A Day Remembered

New Blog, New look, New Ideas, New Brides!

2011-05-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

I am starting over, blog-wise, and trying to create a new look. I mean, I need to keep up with what's going on out there in wedding-land, right? I am also evolving. I find I am seeing weddings in a new light. One that shines more attention to the bride and grooms personal choices and adapting them into a wedding rather than offering the old cookie cutter ideas and traditions and trying to get some personality to show through. How did I ever get into that rut anyway? Weddings are unique and should express the personalities of the couple. Tradition.....tradition!? Not anymore, I say!
If you want to somersault down the aisle then I will teach you how!
If you want a red dress, I will help you find the perfect one.
If you want to be a princess at a fairytale wedding, well......I suppose I could pull of a spectacular un-Royal wedding for you.
It's all about personality. The details that shine a light on who you are, what you love.
So.... sit back and enjoy the ride! It's all NEW!

A Patriotic wedding? I think so!

2010-07-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

Why not celebrate your special day with a big bang!!
July 4th is the birthday of our country. Make it the birthday of your marriage and share the excitement and fireworks every year! It can be done as a backyard B-B-Q or an elegant affair with the red, white and blue color scheme. If you are a military couple add the uniform to punctuate it even more! I think a fun festive Patriotic wedding is one you and your guests will remember for a long, long time!

Wedding Websites

2009-07-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

In this day and age technology is a good thing especially when it comes to wedding planning. The first thing to think about after your giddiness of the proposal wears off a tiny bit and you have set the date and found a venue is to work on a wedding website. This just seems to set the tone and get you into the whole wedding mindset. People won't hound you for details quite as much, hopefully, when you have discussed different elements of the planning on your site. After looking at several places where you can create a site, this one seems the most creative. I've placed an article here for your reading pleasure that is put out by Wedding Window. Let me know what you think after you give the free trial a go!

Personalize Your Wedding

Creating a wedding that is unique is easier than ever since several companies now offer customizable services and products for weddings. Incorporating a personal message or monogram into your special day will not only allow you to customize your wedding, but it will also provide you with a means of creating a consistent look. By using repetitive elements, you will be able to create a sense of commonality between aspects that would otherwise have no connection.

Save the date cards or ecards and wedding websites are typically the elements that will introduce your wedding to your guests, so if you can include your monogram or message on these aspects of your wedding, your guests will recognize them when they see them on your napkins or place cards, for example. If you want to have a wedding website that looks like it was custom designed just for you but does not include the custom price tag, consider creating a DIY site using WeddingWindow.com - you can create custom color schemes and upload your own design photos.

Another way to incorporate your custom monogram or message is through lighting. You can create something called a custom gobo, which allows you to project your monogram on the dance floor or on the wall of your reception hall. You can include your custom elements in other ways as well, such as on postage stamps, on wine labels, and on aisle runners. So as you can see, once you create your custom elements, it is easy to carry them through to the other aspects of your wedding. And, if there are other special ways that define you as a couple such as travel, music or art, try to think of ways to include them as well so your relationship is apparent in every way possible on your wedding day.

Musical Interlude

2009-03-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

So I've been hearing many brides chatting about how they want something original or more contemporary to walk down the aisle to. It's funny isn't it how a song called the "Bridal Chorus" from the Opera Lohengrin composed by Richard Wagner in 1845 has become such an entrenched tradition for all Brides to walk down the aisle to. Most of us know this song as "here comes the bride". I think that maybe it's about time for a new tradition. Not that the song itself is bad or unpopular; it does have some sort of fanciness and importance about it. I think that the Processional for the Bride should be a piece of Instrumental music. It is easy to fade out and people aren't having to listen to any lyrics, just concentrating on the beautiful Bride walking down the aisle. I will list songs that may help you in deciding what to use for that special moment along with links to hear them.
Bridal Chorus -Steve Siu, Piano ReImagined
Bridal Chorus . Miranda Wong
Bridal Dream - Miranda Wong
O from Cirque de Soleil (#13)
Have I told you lately.. arrangement of Van Morrison
There is love (Noel Paul Stookey)
There is love...2
Lovers Fantasy - Miranda Wong
Arioso - Celtic
La Valse D'Amelie - Yann Tiersen
Come into my Room- Shirley Cason (From my Heart Album..scroll down)

For those of you who have to have Lyrics:
Come away with me- Norah Jones
If you were a sailboat - Katie Melua
The Look fo Love - Diana Krall

Father Daughter - Mother son Dance
Dance with my father - Kellie Coffey
The Perfect Fan - Backstreet Boys
A song for Mama - Boyz to Men

Music sets the tone for the ceremony or reception. If you are having a very formal one then stick to traditional pomp and circumstance type music. For the very contemporary pick lighthearted music you love or that is a good depiction of you as a couple.

Enjoy listening and congratulations!

Food for Thought

2009-02-20T08:39:00.000-08:00

One of the newest trends in wedding faire is "the bar". Instead of sitting down to a plated dish of rubber chicken and some fancy named rice and soggy vegetables, guests are "bellying up to the bar", the food bar that is. Sometimes they are called stations. Sushi Bar, Taco Bar, Candy Bar, Potato Bar, Salad Bar, Dessert Bar just to name a few. If you are combining different cultures this is a fun way to merge the two types of foods into one dinner reception. It's not that the cost is any less, in fact some of these bars like the Sushi Bar can be quite a bit more expensive. I think it's the uniqueness and fun it adds to today's weddings that make it the selling point. I don't think there is tradition anymore in a wedding. Especially when it comes to the food served. Maybe a few tiny elements are left like cake, but mostly it is based on what the bride and groom want to reflect their style and personality and that changes with every single couple.

Here are a few suggestions for elements in two of my favorite food bars:

Sushi Bar: Decorate the table very simply. The Japanese are very elegant and simple with clean lines, no ruffles or fru-fru! Hire a real sushi chef from a reputable restaurant. Have a nice but simple variety with plenty of soy sauce and wasabi. And of course chopsticks!

Mashed Potato Martini Bar: A very popular bar where you have steaming chafers of creamy mashed potatoes and all sorts of toppings. Such as, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, cheeses, mushrooms, gravy, sundried tomatoes, pesto, artichokes, olives. The sky is the limit. Whatever you could put on a potato is fair game. Have it served up in a martini glass and voila a fancy food station!

The moral of the story is to serve the food you love at your wedding. Dress it up in stations and let your guests wander around and eat the interesting foods. It adds to the fun and uniqueness of your special day. So go on and "belly up"!

Trendy or Sweet Idea?

2009-02-17T16:48:00.000-08:00

Favors. Such a delicate decision when it comes to wedding favors. Do I do favors? What won't be a waste of money? What will my guests think is cool? Do I think my little idea of paper boats filled with awesome almonds will be loved by all? Well, the politically correct idea of donating to a charity in our friends name is cool, right? Or how about that little bottle of body lotion with our names printed on them? There are so many decisions to choose from in favorland. It all boils down to what will every guest like. I think that the new trend has hit the jackpot! A Candy Buffet! Who doesn't like candy. The diabetic? well maybe, but there are so many delicious candies that are sugar free that even they will dive in head first! What is a candy buffet you say? Well, it is lovely canisters and containers holding delicious candies either chosen in the colors of your wedding or your favorite candies with cute little scoopers and spoons with goody bags that your guests can fill to their hearts content and take home or eat right there at break neck speed! It looks great sitting there in your reception room, almost as fantastic as the cake itself. The guests are all looking at it longingly. (why else would the saying be made "like a kid in a candy store"!) Although it sounds like it may cost alot the average cost is about $3 dollars per person to do it yourself but then you have to buy all the pretty containers( anywhere from $6-$20 a piece) and set it up or for average $5 per person, you can have a company do it for you, set it up provide the candy of our choice and bring their containers, and clean-up... either way the Candy Buffet is a smashingly sweet success! For more photos or info on having one go to www.adayremembered.com/candy_buffet. I know someone who does candy buffets in our area! BUT even if you aren't in our area the idea is an awesome one! Your guests will love it! I promise!

It's your party, you can cry if you want to!

2009-02-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

Once you’ve decided the place and time and who you’re committing your life to, now you can plan to your hearts content and the restraints of your budget. I’ve often told Brides that this is their day and if they want to somersault down the aisles then I'll help them do it. I’ve seen too many who have stressed out letting everybody else tell them what to do and it turns out to be someone else's dream and not theirs. “Easier said than done”, you say? Well, you are right! But it can be done. Start by envisioning your day and write it down. Every thought that comes to mind about your dream wedding should be scribbled down on a piece of paper or napkin or on the back of a receipt. Express these ideas to your mother and fiancée (if you’re lucky enough to find that avocado or melon who cares about the whole wedding thing). Don't be afraid to put your foot down to silly ideas that don't complete your vision. But....PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't become a Bridezilla. It is all about you AND your groom but it is the rest of your life and relationships you have to think about too. Vendors will react to your attitude, if you're poopy, then they will be too. If you are assertive but kind and sweet, you'd be surprised at what the vendors could do for you. As far as your bridesmaids and family members go, the worst thing you can do is to be bossy and cause hate and discontent among them. This should be a happy occasion and if they are being poopy....kick them to the curb. Really! It's not that big a deal. Tell them all at the get-go when you ask them to be your attendants that you can't have yuckiness and if there is you will just pare down your list. You don't need the bad vibes. So if you have to, then do it, but do it with a loving heart!
I have to say it is well worth any money spent to hire a planner or better yet a "Day-Of" coordinator. You need to be able to have a neutral 3rd party person who is not involved in the wedding emotionally to help your day go off without a hitch, dealing with vendors and guests and photographers and any last minute snaffu's. I am available! (hint, hint)

My best advice to you is "less is more"...I know, people say that all the time, but don't get caught up in too many details that it takes the fun out of your special day. Make choices that allow you and your Groom to shine and not be tangled up in it all. Be happy about your choices and think simple. The simpler the better. Not necessarily in regards to your groom choice of course.

Location, Location, Location

2009-02-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

Weddings need a place and time. The place could be as grand as an old historic Castle complete with mote and alligators or as simple as the church on the hill or city hall. There isn’t a right or wrong place. It just needs to be a place you both agree upon and want to commemorate the important decision of becoming married. Regardless of where it is you will still be married in the end.(that's my mantra!) Choose a place that fits your style of wedding. Don't have an elegant black tie affair in the city park, or try to have a Redneck wedding at the Biltmore Hotel. I mean you CAN have them there it's just that you will be frustrated that it isn't turning out how you imagined and it will cost so much more trying to turn your location into something it's not.

Choosing a date can be simple or equated with sticking a needle in your eye. All it really is, is a date to which you will forever be remembering the big decision you made to become married. I say choose a date that will be easy to remember and not clash hugely with some other big event. (like Christmas or Leap year) The date may be influenced by your budget as many places offer huge discounts to weekday, Friday or Sunday weddings. Time of day is actually important in regards to budget. You can get away with not having a full sit down meal at the reception by having a early morning 9-10 a.m., early afternoon 1-2p.m. or late evening 7-8 p.m. wedding. So choose a place and time that is what the two of you have decided on. Don’t let Aunt Betty talk you into changing your dates just because she doesn’t like to travel in July. In the end this wedding day is all about you and your groom. It’s the beginning of your married life together make it the day you want.

Budget Woes

2009-02-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

Money is one of the most frustrating aspects of wedding planning. You MUST come up with a budget. Not a starting budget but the ”absolute most I can spend or go bankrupt” budget. Now in all actuality it is good to have a starting budget as well. The goal should be to stay as close to that starting budget as you can. One trick to use is to tell your vendors that your budget for that particular product/service is at least 15% less than what you are actually willing to spend. Most vendors will take your amount and end up quoting you about 10 – 15% over your amount anyway so this way you won’t have to cut things out and the vendor thinks they pulled one over on you! Budget is essential! Do it or you will be sorry once the full planning gets under way!

For a little help in determining how much to spend for what, use these "ballpark" percentages:
Reception 40%
Photography 10%
Music 8%
Stationary 4%
Flowers 12%
Wedding Attire 10%
Miscellaneous 16%

Of course these aren't written in stone but if you have to spend more in one department, scale it back somewhere else. You really, really want to stay within your budget. Who wants to start off their married life in debt! After all regardless what you spend on the wedding and reception you are still married in the end! And really.... isn't that all that matters?

First things First

2009-02-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

As a woman, I'm sure you're giddy over the fact that you are finally getting married. Then, after all the carbonation of giddiness subsides, the reality of planning such a huge affair starts to settle in. Some of you have dreamed of this day since you were 5 and played dress up, while others are not really sure what it all entails. So I will attempt to illuminate my ideas of the essentials of a wedding, no matter what the shape or size or the who and where of this blessed event.

First of all you need a groom. This groom needs to be handpicked by you, just like you choose avocados or melons at the market. They have been grown in a special environment exclusive to them. Some have been nurtured with kid gloves and plenty of water and fertilization, while others have learned the isolation of a lonely patch of ground with little interaction or nutrition from their tenders. Either way they have become what they are. No matter how much wishing or caressing or prodding will change a melon into an avocado. So, choose your groom wisely, you may be able enhance them but not change them. This groom of yours in turn cannot change you. You need to be enhancing and nurturing each other. That being said, he should be a hottie! “Hottiness”, however, is in the eye of the beholder.