Beauty Timeline

You're going to look radiant and amazing on your wedding day.  Here are our tips on how to get there.

This schedule assumes your wedding is on a Saturday.  Adjust accordingly for your wedding date.

Tanning:  Do a test run of self tanning or whatever tanning system you plan to use for the wedding a few months before the wedding, if desired.  You want to be sure you don't have any adverse reactions.

Facials:  If you're just starting a facial regime then start about 6 months before your wedding.  Talk with your esthetician about your skin care approach.  Schedule your final facial 7-10 days before your wedding day.  Do not schedule a facial within a month of the wedding if you have never had one in the past.

Waxing:  Complete your waxing one week before the wedding.  This will allow all of the swelling to subside.

Friday:

*Manicures and Pedicures.  Make sure there aren't any more deliveries or tasks left to complete.  You don't want to risk chipping your nails.

*Get some sleep!  They don't call it beauty sleep for no reason.

Saturday:

*Work with your stylist and wedding planner to finalize the hair and makeup schedule.  Your hair and makeup will take an 1-2 hours.  The schedule should have your look completed after the bridesmaids.

*Remember, you step into your dress.  It never goes over your freshly done hair and makeup.

*Smile and have a great time.  A happy bride is always beautiful.

Wedding Day Handbag

As if you need an excuse to buy a sweet little bridal handbag, but there are a few things you need to have with you on your big day.

1.  Lipstick.  Ask your makeup artist about this during your trial.  She may include it in your fee or ask that you purchase it separately.

2.  Powder or blotting papers.  Depending on the time of year you marry and your complexion you may want to have have something to keep away the shine.

3.  Hotel room key card.  Just in case you want to sleep later.

4.  Hankie.  Keep it in your purse until you get to the church, then carry it down the aisle.

You shouldn't need:

1.  Your cell phone.  As long as your wedding planner has all of the important phone numbers there won't be a need for it.  Plus, isn't everyone you love with you?

2.  Your camera.  Every single guest will have a camera and you've actually hired someone to take pictures.  Save your battery for the honeymoon.

Your Wedding Planner will have:

Everything you can imagine...  safety pins, needle and thread, chalk, mints, scissors, pins, etc. etc. etc.

Eva Longoria carried this Rafe Totengco clutch in her wedding to Tony Parker.

Feelin Hot

With warm weather on the horizon (thank goodness!) we're beginning to think about all of our wonderful, outdoor tented weddings.  They're gorgeous, they're one of a kind, they're well... hot.

It gets warm, muggy, humid, and hot here in Maryland in the summertime.  We have a few ways of dealing with the heat and keeping our guests as cool as little cucumbers.

Parasols:

Provide parasols for use during the ceremony.  They give your guests instant shade and add a splash of color to your photos.

Beverages:

Set up a station serving ice water, lemonade, or an alcohol free summertime drink for the guests before the ceremony begins.

Fans:

Hand held fans give an instant breeze when they're isn't one to be found.  Set them on each ceremony chair.  There are tons of options in all budget levels.  And if you want a super cool idea for fans - just ask us...

Colors:

Using blues, greens, and purples in your linens and floral arrangements give your guests a cool mindset.

Flip Flops:

We love setting out a basket of flip flops for guests who are dying to dance, but not in those heels.  They can keep their feet cool and save their pedicure from walking around barefoot.

Parasol image from Brides.com

A Winner by a Landslide

Blue Orchid Designs posted this story on their website this morning.

Cicely Rocha-Miller from Life Design Event Planning and her team navigated their way through a real-life wedding hiccup. The night before their 342 person wedding in Arizona there was a landslide on the only road leading to the ceremony and reception site.

Cicely and her team jumped in with an alternate location and a little bit of charm to convince the police to let her vendors and guests pass the barricade to reach the location.

Another event planner success story. Great work Cicely !

Read the whole store here.

Independent vs. Onsite Planners

We recently stumbled across this excellent post from our friend Kelly McWilliams of Weddings by Socialites in Florida. Since we loved her explanation of Independent vs. On-Site Planners SO much we decided to post it here for you to read.

Independent Planners vs. Onsite Planners

"I had 12 minutes before my clients were due to arrive at the florist on Friday, so I was really excited to take advantage of the time and read the new In Style Weddings. It's a great magazine, and their new wedding website is supposed to be launching soon. Anyhoo, I get to the etiquette section and here's what I read:

"I'm having a destination wedding at a venue that employs an in-house planner, and she hasn't consulted me on some decisions. How should I handle this?"
While the answer given was good, it was very much incomplete. Here's why; the answer didn't explain that perhaps what the bride was expecting the planner to do, wasn't at all her job. You see, an onsite (or in-house) planner is typically only responsible for things that happen onsite and that are relative to the site and its staff- and NOTHING else.
So, then what's the difference? I'm going to clear this up once and for all. The best way to find out what exactly your "included" planner will do...ask. Here are a few really good questions. And yes, the crazy seeming ones, I have actually had to do.
"Hello Onsite Planner (insert name here)! I have a few questions for you. Yes or no answers please."

"Will you...
1. Call all the vendors on your preferred vendors list and see if they are available for my wedding and in my budget? And if not, will you get me 3 more options who are?
2. Create a budget for me for everything wedding day related?
3. Write and hand out both wedding party and guest list itineraries?
4. Compile all the goodies for the welcome bags and make sure all the hotels get them just before guests arrive?
5. Give me stationary and etiquette advice?
6. Keep my mother at the cocktail hour, far from me during photos, with a full gin and tonic and away from crazy Uncle Steve?
7. Schedule and attend all the vendor meetings with me?
8. Review all the contracts I'll have to sign?
9. Prepare a detailed timeline for my day as well as one for all the vendors working at my wedding?
10. Go out and find my new father-n-law size 12.5 brown leather lace free yet wedding appropriate shoes when his sole falls off during the ceremony and make sure that you're back in time for him to be introduced into the dinner reception?
11. Call and confirm all the vendors have been paid, are going to show up, if they need anything further, and that they do in fact know not to say anything about the surprise grooms cake.
12. Find a replacement tuxedo for the best man the morning of the wedding when it arrives blue and not black?
13. Help me create design options for my wedding?
14. Research and find favors, a unique escort card display and super cool fun things for my guests to do at my wedding?
15. Help me plan a welcome reception, grooms outing, bridesmaids luncheon, and rehearsal dinner? Oh, and a farewell brunch too? Oh, but not all at your site of course.
16. Figure out all the rentals I'll need, order them, and then oversee the installation?
17. Stay for the entire wedding and then check under every single table for lost shoes and purses after everyone leaves?
18. Run the rehearsal?
19. Email me when you find flip flops on clearance at Old Navy and then fight with them until they agree to send all 775 to you, even if it does clean out their stock?
20. Have an emergency kit prepared for me and my bridesmaids?
21. Make sure there are hospitality baskets in the restrooms?
22. Politely explain to the make-up artist that my eyes look ridiculous so I don't have to feel awkward?"

Here is one thing I want to make perfectly clear- onsite planners or coordinators are wonderful and very helpful and are responsible for an enormous amount of work that you will never even realize. I just feel that its important to know that what an independent wedding planner such as myself does, is not what 95% of onsite planners do...2 different job descriptions. Picture above, me and Jen Dube (onsite planner for Casa Ybel- and she rocks.)

Oh, and the 775 flip flops- the UPS guy thought he had seen it all until that delivery. And my husband, well, he "pointed out the 17 boxes in my living room" every day until we were down to 12 boxes. Now, "Remember when we had 775 flip flops? The 600 left seem like nothing huh?""

Here it is on Kelly's blog.