This is retro248's Pink Wedding!

http://daily.wedshare.com/2010/03/04/wedding-inspiration-mad-hatter-bridal-tea-party-3495.html

Tim Burton’s upcoming movie Alice in Wonderland opens tomorrow, and yesterday I shared my take on an Alice in Wonderland wedding theme inspired by the “Red Queen”. Along the same quirky and fun line, here’s one for a colorful Mad Hatter Bridal Tea Party. I’m looking forward to seeing Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter; he always does such a great job playing the crazy characters.

Imagine an afternoon bridal shower in a beautiful garden with all your girlfriends. Vintage teacups with plates for drinking tea and eating tea sandwiches and yummy desserts. Have colorful glassware for fresh lemonade or a signature cocktail as well besides the tea. Floral arrangements on teapots are a great way to decorate a long rectangular table for a tea party theme. I love the look of having old, unmatched chairs with or without cushions for the seating arrangements. Ask your girlfriends to wear a colorful dress so that everyone is part of the theme. And don’t forget a game of croquet with your girlfriends as part of the fun bridal shower activities.

I recently worked a wedding and the couple chose "Stolen" by Dashboard Confessional as their first dance song. It is such a pretty song and a perfect choice for a first dance song. I have been singing it in my head since their wedding.




Lyrics:

We watch the season pull up it's own stage
And catch the last weekend of the last week
Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced
Another sun soaked season fades away

You have stolen my heart
You have stolen my heart

Invitation only grant farewells
Crash the best one of the best ones
Clear liquour and cloudy eyed
Too early to say goodnight

You have stolen my heart
You have stolen my heart

And from the ballroom floor, we are in celebration
One good stretch before our hibernation
Our dreams assured and we all will sleep well
Sleep well, sleep well, sleep well, sleep well

You have stolen, you have stolen
You have stolen my heart

I watch you spin around in your highest heels
You are the best one of the best ones
And we all look like we feel

You have stolen, you have stolen
You have stolen my heart

Hi Ladies,

I'm coming up on one year of marriage already and wanted to share with you the 10 BIGGEST mistakes Brides make and how to avoid them. One of our local wedding planners here in MI posted this on to her blog the other day and I thought I would share in her wisdom as I found myself agreeing with all of these statements as I ran into them myself. Hope this helps all you ladies!

http://yourethebride.blogspot.com/2010/06/ten-biggest-mistakes-brides-make.html

1. Don't pay full price for vendor meals. Make sure your hall backs out the alcohol portion as your vendors are professionals and should not be drinking at your wedding.

2. Don't assume your banquet hall will fold your napkins brought in from an outside vendor. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't so if they don't you have a big problem on your wedding day and the job might not get done.

3. Don't not order extra invitations and envelopes. A second printing always cost much more than the first batch. It's better to order more now than pay more later.

4. Don't assume your Catering Manager at the hall is your Day-of Coordinator. They have one goal in mind the day of your wedding and that is to make sure that their responsibilities are being taken care of meaning getting the food out to your guests, taking care of any bar problems, etc. They will not help you fix your bustle, or pack your items up at the end of the night plus many other things inbetween that come up.

5. Don't assume that your DJ, Photographer or Videographer works alone. They often bring along an assistant and that is an extra meal that you may or may not have to pay for. It is best when you hire that vendor to ask them if they bring along someone so you know if you will need to provide another meal.

6. Don't assume your guests know that they can't take home your rented centerpieces. Yes, you heard me often the vases are rented and need to be returned to the florist and your guests just walk off with them not giving a second thought to this. Then you are stuck paying a replacement fee to your florist for the missing vases!

7. Don't assume that getting a chaircover for a $1 or so is a great deal. Often these are a mess and not clean or pressed. I have even seen them with holes and rips at the bottom..not very classy for your dream reception. Not to say that you won't find some chaircover vendors that do take pride in your work and will deliver a nice and clean finished product but you must be careful.

8. Don't assume your Limo Driver knows where he/she is taking you although you have provided directions and/or the address to each location. It is best to type something up and give it to him/her at the first pickup. This way you won't have to be yelling up every 5 minutes..no turn here, back up, stop!

9. Don't assume your wedding guests won't come up and bother you at your reception with seating issues. Trust me this is the last thing you want to deal with while you are trying to enjoy your meal. Having a point of contact in charge like a day-of coordinator to trouble-shoot these little issues that often come up will save you a great deal of stress.

10. Don't assume your hall will cut and serve your wedding cake to your guests for free. Be sure to check your contract to see what the charge is and often you can negotiate it.

I am currently working as an assistant with TwoFoot Creative Event Planning out of the Ann Arbor Michigan area. I assisted with the DOC on the wedding of Sharon and Justin. They are a super sweet couple. One of my favorite elements of the day was when the Father of the Bride asked me to move his son closer to the bar. I should explain here, the brother of the bride is currently on leave in the Navy and could not be at his sisters wedding, they made a life size card board cutout of him and we had him stationed by Shutterbooth (photo booth). Needless to say, the brother ended up on the dance floor after some quick touche ups by me (electrical tape to hold him together). I think "brother" had a good time! We had a few hiccups in the day, crazy weather- rainy, humid and the groom forgot the slide show which we needed to go retrieve. All in all, it was a great day!

Here is the link for some photos of the event!

http://twofootcreative.com/blog/?p=337

Saw this great dessert buffet on Hostess with the Mostess Blog. Thought I would pass it along

I love this them wedding by http://amorologyweddings.blogspot.com/2010/02/raindrops-on-roses.html. It goes to show how much inspiration is out there and with a little creativity what you can accomplish. This wedding in particular is based on the song from the Sound of Music, My favorite things. I am attending the NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) Table Top Wow Event in April. The theme this year is movies. This type of creativity is what I look forward to most at this upcoming event. I will post pics from that event next month.

Until then, enjoy this creative concept.

While creating my own company, I will be interning this summer for a local wedding planner. I'm excited to learn as much as I can to get a great start to my new business. I have attended my first ABC meeting (Association of Bridal Consultants) and a few bridal shows to meet some great vendors. Networking event coming up on Wednesday. for NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) I'm well on my way!

I just completed my Event Planning/Wedding Planning course and wanted to show off my new logo! Now, need to build a website! If you are a Detroit Area (MI) bride in need of a coordinator, send me a message!

Sorry haven't posted till know. I had to get these from my florist who is submitting me to the Knot and Style Me Pretty.

Hello Ladies!
It has been five months since the wedding and I thought I would reflect on five of my favorite wedding choices and five things I would have changed if given the chance. I still look at my wedding pictures constantly reliving each detail and wanted to share some insight with all of you.

My five favorite wedding choices:

1.) The Pink Hummer Limo- While pricey, and sat still the majority of the time, it brought the biggest smile to my face and allowed me to relax and have fun.

2.) My Cake Topper, It was the perfect touch to my cake. It made the statement I wanted and was the "Crowning Jewel" of my cake. I know they can be pricey but worth it. Give this one a lot of thought ladies and not an afterthought.

3.) My Florist- Parsonage in Clarkston, MI. This is the one vendor who pulls it all together, you need to make sure you are on the same page as your florist. I had so many visits with mine and they were patient and delivered what I wanted. Worth every cent and it's a pricey one!

4.) My Stationer- Lindsay Ryan Design. She was crucial in bringing it together from the beginning. From the invitations to the signature drink signs. Her designs inspired my cake design which I loved!

5.)Videographer-Epic Motion/DJ- Mike Staff Productions
I have a tie on this one. I originally didn't want a videographer until I saw the work done by Epic Motion. They are the best in my area and worth every cent as I was disappointed in my actual wedding photos from my photographer. The DJ is also the best in my area and kept me dancing all night!

Now.. What I would have changed...

1.) My photographer. I should have researched more or skimped on another area of the wedding. I have nice pictures. They are just that, nice. I guess I expected a little bit more. You get what you pay for ladies, if this is especially important too you, put the money towards it!

2.) A Wedding Coordinator. Family is great, but unless you are able to hover over them the day of the wedding, get a coordinator. My biggest mistake of all. Some of the chaos of the day would have been avoided and the candles I spent money on for outside on the patio would have been lit, my hair wouldn't have lost all it's curl because of all the running around, etc.

3.) Try not to take everything on yourself, let your attendants know what you expect of them and what you need help with. I was left to unpack all the dresses, etc.

4.) I wish I would have spent more time with my guests then on the dance floor. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time, I just didn't talk to as many people as I would have liked. Wish I could go back and do that part over.

5.)Edit. When in doubt edit. I had a lot of decor items, etc. I could have left out the bathroom baskets, etc. While these were nice touches, it mostly went unused.

Well ladies, I hope this has been somewhat helpful. Each of you is unique, have it your way and try to enjoy all of it!

Please Enjoy my Wedding Video Trailer

Pine Knob Mansion Wedding Video Trailer of Kristen + Shannon from Ryan Koral on Vimeo.

Sorry I haven't posted any professional pics, I am still waiting to see the proofs from the photographer. I was told 4-6 weeks. I should have them hopefully next week. Any other brides still waiting for the photos?

I got my DBA to start my new business as a Wedding Design Consultant and Coordinator. I just purchased my DBA (doing business as) name with the county I will be doing business in. It will be a home based business for now. My dream would be to have a little studio where I can meet potential clients. I just purchased a book on how to start your own wedding consulting business and I am enrolling in a course online so I can be a certified wedding consultant. Next step is to get my website up and running. I have purchased my domain name and I will be having some assistance in helping me create the perfect site. Just waiting on my professional pics so I can use them on my site. I will keep you ladies posted on my progress....

Here is the first wave of items for sale. Please contact me if you are interested.

3- Silver Baroque Frames
12- Silver Mercury glass votive holders
5- Silver Mercury Fleur di lis vases. 3 of style shown
1- White and Pink basket with pink scroll lining.
1- This way to the wedding sign. Pink/Gold lettering. Arrow pointed in opposite direction than photo.

5- Easels spray painted gold

**NOTE- after one week and no takers, I will be posting on Bravo Bride** Thanks for your interest.

I am really feeling somewhat at a loss now that the wedding planning process is over. I am currently looking into getting my DBA so I can start my own wedding design and consulting business. I just purchased a book to get me started and plan on getting certified as a wedding consultant. I'm really hoping to make a go of it. Wish me luck ladies!

Venue- Pine Knob Mansion- B. While the venue itself was beautiful, I was not as happy with the service we received. I barely saw the coordinator who was onsite that day. Some of my candles did not get lit, vendor dishes not cleared up in a timely manner. Pastries put out before the cake was served. At the end of the evening we could not find any staff, as well as some of my personal items. I had to go back today and they still can't find my cake topper!

DJ- Mike Staff Productions-A. I was impressed with this company from the start. They are clearly the best for a reason. Everything was orgainized prior and my DJ was great. My DJ Bob was a trooper as it appeared to be a little chaotic due to the lack of a coordinator at Pine Knob. Only hiccup, my walk down the aisle song was the wrong version of the song. No one knew but me but everyone was moved by the song.

Cake- Sweet and Savory Bakeshop- A+. They were amazing, this cake is to die for and it is even better to taste. It was a huge hit and we didn't have much cake leftover.

Flowers- The Parsonage- A+. Amazing to work with. They put up with all my many visits and everything turned out beautifully.

Linens- Modern Art- A. The room was beautiful and set up exactly the way they were instructed. I also thought there prices were very reasonable. Heather worked with me to find just the right linen and I think we accomplished that.

Photography- Laurie Tennent Studios- Branko Arsov. Too early to tell. Esme the associate photographer was a pleasure to work with. I had a few complaints about my photographer and noticed he seemed to be annoyed by the videographers since they are competing professions.

Videographer- Epic Motion- Too early to tell. There job was for them not to be seen and I didn't notice them too much. It was so chaotic that day, I just hope they got some good footage. They were really nice and I was impressed that they were already there when we arrived at the Mansion earlier than anticipated.

Stationary- Lindsay Ryan Design-A. Lindsey was great to work with and did some amazing work. I think everyone appreciated the details that came out through the stationary.

Love how you can see the chandelier in some of the pics! Remi had a great time dancing in the pink hummer limo!

Aren't they fab!

It all came together beautifully!

Here are some more non-pro pics from the ceremony and misc. shots.

Ok, Let's just say, no matter how much you plan, or how orgainzed you are, things don't always go as planned. Wedding day was crazy, but beautiful. You can't control everything, and I am a control freak! My day started with your typical butterflies and scouring the house to make sure I didn't forget anything. Come to find out, I forgot my check book to pay my videographer. Luckily, the groom was still at home and brought it to the venue with him.

The pink hummer limo arrived about 15 min off schedule, no biggie. Our driver Justin was awesome! He was so nice and accomodating. We arrived to pick up the rest of my bridal party and headed to my Mom's for hair. Oh yeah, hair, my hairdresser was unfortunately let go from her job not even 3 hours after my hair trial two weeks prior. No worries, she came to the house and did all of our hair and it was way more relaxed and fun then trying to get ready at the salon.

We arrived to the venue about 20 minutes prior to the time I had scheduled to arrive. This was no biggie as my videographers were already there and set up to film us. This is where it all got crazy. I walked into the venue and it was like totally chaos! Everyone wanted my attention to ask where things go, the rooms were being set up and I was trying to look at everything. For the first time, I felt out of control of my wedding and I have to say, I did not enjoy that feeling.

We made it upstairs and hung up our dresses. My hair had lost most of its curl by this point as it was like 89 degrees outside and all the running around inside caused it to fall. Why was I running around, well, most of my bridal party disappeared and I had to unpack my own dress as well as the girls dresses. My photographer even made a comment that I was WAY too involved. I knew they wanted to take photos of my dress so whats a girl to do? Let's just say my bridezilla was starting to come out. Seriously, where the heck was everyone?

I decided to settle down a bit, the photographer was taking a lot of shots. I looked outside and lost it, the feathers that were going on the gazebo were not the original feathers that were supposed to be used. Seriously, it looked like a Vegas show out there. I told my Mom to go down there and have them take them off the gazebo, crisis solved!

We did not start on time of course. I'm a stickler for being on time so I was a little peeved at this point. Ceremony started and I lost it as soon as I heard the processional music. I finally calmed myself down only to hear the wrong song being played for my walk down the aisle. Well, same song just not the version I asked for. I asked for the instrumental version and got the vocal version. No one knew but me, and everyone said the music was beautiful and the song was very moving.

The ceremony was beautiful! I felt bad for the boys, they were sweating like crazy out there. Right before I was pronounced man and wife I did a little dance in place and everyone laughed. It was totally un planned but should be great on the video!

Some of the hiccups along the way, not enough tealight candles, almost lost the flower girls parasol, the candles outside were not lit like they were supposed to be even though I gave Pine Knob instructions on where all the candles were. Couldn't find my cake knife/server and cake topper at the end of the night as well as the rented chargers and everyone who was working at the venue seemed to disappear.

On a good note, I did a lot of dancing, the DJ was amazing. I busted my bustle during the hussle.. LOL! Wish I would have gotten a few more pictures before the photographer left.

Ladies, enjoy it while it lasts, it goes so fast. I can't wait to see the pics. I'm so exhausted but just had to get on here and share the day with you.

They were amazing and soooo cute! Here are some pics of Remi with her parasol. I'm hoping to get more of the ring bearer. He is in the back on the second pic!

Here are some non pro pics. My cake, OMG, Fabulous and delicious! The table looked amazing! I made one of my girls go down and snap a picture of the cake so I could see it. I couldn't have dreamed of anything better! My signature drink, "French Revolution". It consisted of Vodka and pink lemonade, fantastic! The centerpieces, don't even get me started, so amazing. This picture doesn't really do it justice, the tables were just getting set up at this point. I am in love with the guestbook centerpiece. It is gorgeous! Everything turned out to be amazing. The room was so beautiful. I can't wait to share pro pics with you guys!

I had so much butterflies in my stomach until I saw this pink beauty pull in front of my home! This was so fun and I felt like a real life barbie for a day. Our flower girl Remi got a kick out of it too!

I have had a crazy few weeks filled with great times and laughs to be had. I had four bachlorette parties. My first was fondue with a few close friends followed by two sleep over parties, Henna tattoos and of course I could not get away without having a stripper. My sister-in-law just came back from India and we had a blast putting henna tattoos on all our bodies. Each tattoo was unique with the common thread being a heart. We had a blast doing the tattoos, eating and staying up late as girls do when they get together. I also went through the typical bachlorette party ritual of a stripper and a trip to the bar in all my crazy get up.

Hi Ladies!
Sorry it has been so long. My computer has a nasty virus and I have not been operational. So much has been done over these past few weeks. I have had several bachlorette parties besides running my butt off. I will fill in what I have done once the wedding is over. So this is good bye for now. I'm so excited to be getting married, time went by so fast. I will post pics as soon as I can.

Love ,

Kristen

I never really considered myself much of a girly girl. I do not have pink all over my house or frilly things. While I enjoy all things girly, ( come on, who doesn't love shoes? ) I am surprised that my wedding is ultra girly. Maybe it is in our DNA as young girls dreaming of our wedding day, the whole princess thing and everything. So my question to you ladies, has your wedding planning process brought out the girliest girl in you? I know it has taken over my whole wedding, hence the pink hummer limo. LOL!

Check this all important item off my list. Shannon and I applied for our license today. I have it safely tucked away where I cannot lose it before the big day. It really feels official now. I can't believe I have a week left!