Budget Savvy Brides Read This!

What do you do when the economy around you has you second guessing everything you want to do for your wedding? Well, you get creative and SAVVY! This is where we come in...we strive to offer you unique ideas to help you look like you had a million dollar wedding by not spending a million dollars. We look for opportunities to make a BIG impact with relatively low cost. We do this by keeping our minds open to all possiblities. There is always more than one way to do anything! Here are some helpful suggestions on how to get the most out of your money.

• Host a signature drink instead of an open bar.
• Hire a FANTASTIC DJ instead of a live band.
• Use only one color for your floral arrangements because depending on which flower you choose, you can control your cost and still create a beautiful atmosphere!
• Of course, hiring a planner can help you get the most out of your money and ease some of the stress as well!

These are just some ways to help you be a Budget SAVVY Bride!

For more information see Colin Cowie's

7 Tips for the Budget Savvy Bride on the pages of www.getmarried.com

We Love Green!

With Earth day just around the corner, April 22, 2009 to be exact, we feel it is important to start thinking of creative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. We found some fresh ideas for anyone to make their wedding day an Earth-friendly event!

1. Minimize excess paper on your invites by using postcards for the RSVP cards. It is not only less paper but less money per stamp, so you are saving in two ways!
2. Select a caterer that uses local, sustainable foods and reduces waste.
3. Instead of using an individual menu card per guest, try setting up a chalkboard at each table to display the menu.
4. To offset your guest's travel emissions, you can plant trees in their honor. These donations double as unique favors as well!
5. Find out in advance if your venue recycles paper goods instead of trashing them and if not ask them if they could!

These are just a few ideas on how we can do our part on our wedding day to help save the Earth!

Information found in the InStyle Weddings magazine, Spring 2009 edition, page 251.

This is Why I Do What I Do!

I just received the nicest letter of gratitude from one of my clients. The fact that the groom took the time to write a thank you in the first place is outstanding! I wanted to share it because it was so touching to me! This is why I do what I do and why we are committed to making every bride and groom's wedding day dreams come true! Much love to Keli and Erik!

"Cindy,

I want to start by saying thank you, thank you, thank you! We can’t thank you enough for the absolutely perfect job you did with planning, coordinating, and executing our wedding. I know that our wedding posed a unique challenge given that we live in Utah and you were in Florida but, it was flawless none the less. The year we spent planning this with you was a pleasure. You made everything seem so easy. We honestly thought it would be near impossible to accomplish a perfect ceremony and reception with an out-of-state wedding. I’m especially grateful for the support you provided to my lovely bride during the year of planning. Without you being there for her to bounce ideas off of and many other things I’m sure, my stress level would have been through the roof.

The most unsettling part of our adventure was that we did not have an opportunity to see our ceremony and reception site, taste the cake, see the flowers, etc. All of that anxiety went away when saw (for the first time) the unbelievably gorgeous job you did. It was by far the most beautiful wedding that we could have ever hoped for. It was truly a fairy tale wedding. For weeks after the event we received phone calls and emails from friends and family that said, “that was by far the most beautiful and fun wedding I’ve ever attended”. That means so much to both of us and we will be forever grateful to you for that. I can’t say enough about the wedding. You took care of everything. It allowed us to enjoy every wonderful second of our wedding day. The isle with the sheppard’s hooks and vases, every single thing about the reception room, organizing our rambunctious wedding party, everything was PERFECT! I also can’t thank you enough for helping us select the perfect vendors for our wedding. Our photographer and DJ were much, much more than we expected. People who have seen our wedding pictures are absolutely blown away and we have you to thank for that. One of my favorite things was the way you set up our suite the night of the wedding. The rose petals on the bed, the open and poured glasses of champagne, and of course the wonderful gift basket. I think the best thing about working with you was your attention to detail, consciousness of our budget, and of course, what a wonderful and sweet person you are. Thank you for everything you did for us. We will be recommending you to all of our friends and family. You’re not just a wedding planner, you are truly our friend.

Good luck to you and all that you do. We know that you will have much success in the years to come.

Forever grateful,

Erik & Keli Kramer

PS: We miss you already!!!"

Some Celeb Tips to Inspire Your Wedding!

Below is a list of some celebrity-inspired wedding ideas that can make your day uniquely yours!

Welcome your guests to a Destination Wedding - When your guests arrive to the destination and find a welcome basket waiting for them or just a hand written note expressing how happy you are that they were able to attend your special day, they will already feell that their efforts to attend were well worth it! Letting your guests know how important they are to you and how much it means that they traveled all of this way for you is a small gesture that really goes far!

Bridesmaids Dresses With Wiggle Room - Giving the bridal party the freedom to pick out their own dress or at least have a say in what they wear, will allow them to look their best. Of course, you suggest the color and then let them choose the style they will feel more comfortable in. But overall when everyone looks and feels good in what they are wearing it shows on their faces and who wouldn't want their bridal party to look gorgeous!

Make Guests the Photographers or should I say Videographers - That's right the celebrity wedding planners are giving guests disposable video cameras. They cost about $30 each and can give the bride and groom more memories than just a single camera!

Make it Personal - Today it is all about making your day personal and giving your guests a glimpse of who you are together as a couple. This is one of my favorites because it is all of the small gestures that really add up and mean the most. Whether it be naming your tables after your favorite places, teas, people, etc or including your photos during different times in your lives and seeing how they meshed together. It all showcases your personalities and makes everything more memorable every step of the way!

These are just a few ideas but really it all comes down to what matters the most to you and your groom because it is your day to shine!


Parts as seen on Good Morning America, In Style magazine's Amy Goodman.