The Wedding Planners

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Me? A Bridesmaid?

Today's guest blogger is Kimberly Lang who made the Walden's Best Seller list for category romances with her first Harlequin Presents, The Secret Mistress Arrangement. Congrats!

Thanks for inviting me back to the blog!

Last time I visited here, I made the mistake of saying my bridesmaid days were pretty much over. I bragged how my days of hand-holding my friends in the midst of emotional bridal breakdowns were over.

Seems I jinxed myself.

Of course, no sooner than I said it one of my oldest and dearest friends had to get herself engaged and it seems I’ll be wearing taffeta again. Probably something long and froofy with a sweetheart neckline and the potential for puffy sleeves. Oh, please, just let it not be fuchsia. Anything but fuchsia. It’s not a good color for me.

With my luck, the dress will have a butt bow as well.

Sigh.

Why are bridesmaid dresses hideous by nature? Oh, the bride is always so quick to claim “you’ll be able to wear it again,” but has anyone ever actually been able to wear a bridesmaid dress again? No matter how you try to shorten it or tailor it or put a jacket over it, it will forever scream BRIDESMAID.

I’ve been lucky that my friends, for the most part, have always had good taste and I was never stuck wearing something just too horrid to believe (fuchsia butt bows aside – I think that’s just standard). They just weren’t what you’d call particularly flattering.

One of my favorite websites – Etiquette Hell – has a Bridesmaid Dress Incinerator. Those are some pretty bad dresses. It’s enough to make me feel downright fortunate in my bridesmaid attire.

It’s a good thing we’re talking about friends. Can you imagine what your enemies would do to you?

So my nightmare is fuchsia with a butt bow. Do you have a bridesmaid’s dress horror to share? (And keep your fingers crossed for my upcoming dress, okay? Thanks.)

Kimberly

**** I’m celebrating the release of TWO books this month. My first book, The Secret Mistress Arrangement, from Harlequin Presents is out this month in the US. My second book, The Millionaire’s Misbehaving Mistress, from Mills and Boon Modern Heat, is out in the UK. Drop by my website for details and contests this month.

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Labels: guest blogging

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Meet new author Kimberly Lang

We'd like to introduce to you Kimberly Lang, a new Harlequin author who has a book out in the UK. She'll be stopping back by when her book hits the shelves in April in the US.

I’m so tickled to be here on the Wedding Planners blog because, once upon a time, I wanted to be a wedding planner. Of course, I’d never actually planned a wedding (not even my own because I eloped), but I’d been a guest at several. I was working as a conference and event planner at the time, so I knew how to organize events, negotiate with hotels and caterers, and I was a hopeless romantic at heart. It seemed like the perfect idea – I had the basic training, how hard could it possibly be?

Then my friends started getting married, and I got to see the inner workings of wedding planning up close and personal. It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. I hadn’t realized what emotional minefields weddings could be. When I’d planned scientific conferences, it didn’t matter that the napkins were more mauve than lilac. No one burst into tears at the sight of carnations in centerpieces or spent hours debating bow ties versus ascots. It didn’t matter what kind of stamps went on the envelopes or if someone got a strange haircut at the last minute.

My pride in my professional credentials started taking a beating. I – the person who’d managed to get 250 non-English speaking scientists to a conference being held an hour from the nearest airport without losing any of them – couldn’t manage to get my best friend into the shower on her wedding day. As I forcefully threw my BFF into the bathtub over her wails of “I don’t want it to be my special day anymore,” I knew that whatever I was going to be when I grew up, it sure wasn’t going to have anything to do with planning any weddings.

With that in mind, you might find it a little amusing that my first book, The Secret Mistress Arrangement (Mills and Boon Modern Heat – on sale in the UK now!), opens at a wedding, where the frazzled Maid of Honor is at the end of her tether and about to snap. There’s certainly a little bit of me in my heroine, Ella Mackenzie, in that first chapter, but I think anyone who has ever been involved with planning a wedding will be able to sympathize with Ella.

Most of my friends are married now, so my bridesmaid days and all the wonderful book fodder they provided have come to an end. However, I had such a great time writing the wedding in The Secret Mistress Arrangement, don’t be surprised if more weddings show up in later books. Give me some inspiration by sharing your favorite (or worst, depending how you look at it, I guess) wedding snafu!

Oh, and to celebrate the release of my first book, I’m running a couple of contests this month. Visit my website for details.

Kimberly

Labels: celebrity weddings, guest blogging, wedding planners

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Wedding Planners at PHS

I'm guest blogging at the Pink Heart Society blog today. A few of the Wedding Planner authors helped out by giving me links to tasty holiday treats! I hope you'll stop by, say hi and see what we'll be cooking this month!

Melissa

Labels: guest blogging, melissa m, recipes

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Weddings and Writing

Today's guest blogger is the talented Virginia Kantra, who also happens to be my critique partner. She's also the one who helped me come up with Serena's wedding tips in the front of SOS Marry Me!

Writing about weddings and having someone planning one at the same time was oh-so-helpful to me, but as you'll read, Virginia had some writing of her own going on at the time. Enjoy!

A year ago this month, I was planning a wedding and writing a book. That sentence should come with one of those disclaimers you see at the bottom of car commercials:
“Do not try this at home.”

But as I explained to my critique partner Melissa, I didn’t have a choice. I had a deadline. And we have a daughter, an amazingly competent, intelligent, energetic, on-fire professional woman whose response to all things wedding was “Mommy Do It.”

So I did, and it was mostly a joy.

For five months, I was consumed by details of The Dress (by Maggie Sotterro)

I interviewed florists,

debated over cake,

and ordered fourteen pairs of shoes from Zappos.

“Don’t worry,” Melissa kept saying as she was tackling her own line edits for SOS Marry Me, “this is great material for a book.”

I snorted. “Yeah. Yours.”

Except, you know, Melissa was right. The following is from Sea Fever, book 2 of The Children of the Sea, an August release from Berkley.
Chapter 1

The night the only eligible man on the island got married, Regina Barone got drunk.

Getting laid would have been even better.

Regina looked from Bobby Kincaid, whose eyes had taken on the wet glaze of his beer bottle, to fifty-three-year-old Henry Tibbetts, who smelled like herring, and thought, Fat chance. Anyway, on an island with a year round population of eleven hundred, a drunken hook-up at a wedding reception could have serious consequences.

Regina knew all about consequences. She had Nick, didn't she?

The wedding tent's tiebacks fluttered in the breeze. Through the open sides, Regina could see the beach where the happy couple had exchanged their vows--a strip of shale, a tumble of rocks, a crescent of sand bordering the restless ocean.

Not your typical destination wedding. Maine, even Maine in August, was hardly St. Croix.

And the beach wedding described in Sea Fever is not my daughter’s wedding. The couple getting married are the hero and heroine of my July release, Sea Witch.

And yet…
With less than a month to plan and prepare, with only a clueless bride and the groom's awkward sister for support, Regina had pulled off the wedding she'd never had. The rented tent was warm with lantern light, bright with delphinium, daisies, and sunflowers. Crisp white linens covered the picnic tables, and she'd dressed up the folding chairs from the community center with flowing bows.

Flashback to our two tall, handsome sons on their knees in the reception hall the day before the wedding, tying organza sashes around 150 white-covered chairs.

Finally, there was the look in the groom’s eyes:
The naked intensity in Cal's eyes as he watched his wife closed Regina's throat.

In her entire life, no man had ever looked at her like that, as if she were the sun and the moon and his entire world wrapped up in one.

On the day of their wedding, our new-son-in-law looked at our daughter just like that.

It was enough to make you believe in happy endings.

So, which would you opt for? Destination wedding or family church? Or doesn’t it matter as long as the man waiting for you at the end of the aisle has just that look in his eyes?

Virginia has graciously donated a copy of Shifter, an anthology featuring her novella Sea Crossing which is a prequel to her upcoming releases, to be given away on the blog today. The winner will be selected from those posting comments! Good luck!

A six-time Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist, Virginia Kantra is the winner of numerous writing awards, including the Golden Heart, Golden Leaf, Holt Medallion, Maggie Award of Excellence and two National Readers' Choice Awards. After writing her popular "MacNeill Brothers" and "Trouble in Eden" series for Silhouette, Virginia turned her hand to romantic suspense and paranormal romance. Her new series, Children of the Sea, debuts with the back-to-back releases of Sea Witch (July 2008) and Sea Fever (August 2008).

To read more about her or The Children of the Sea series, visit Virginia on MySpace!

All wedding photos copyright Mindy Gorman Photography. All rights reserved.

Labels: guest blogging, mother of the bride

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Me? A MOB?

We heard from the newly engaged Elizabeth Wiggs on Thursday, now it's time to hear what her mother, NYT bestselling author Susan Wiggs, has to say about being the mother of the bride!

I’m not quite sure how to say this, so I’ll be blunt. Does anybody actually dream about being mother of the bride?

Come on.

Nearly every woman I know has dreamed of being a bride. But the bride’s mother? That’s kind of like getting stuck with Midge (the sidekick) while playing Barbies. It’s also sure to mess with your denial about being old enough to actually have a daughter who’s getting married. A new generation has come along, and here you thought you were the young generation. You didn’t even notice the runner behind you, reaching out to pass you the baton.

If you’re like me, the mother of an adored and indulged girl, you remember every single minute. You remember what her toddler voice sounded like when she laughed. You remember the little-girl smell of her, and dresses that were too expensive but you bought them anyway because you just had to see her in that adorable smocked pinafore. You remember the feel of her tiny–usually sticky–hand in yours as you took her into unfamiliar situations: A swimming pool. Kindergarten. The IMAX. A petting zoo. Her first piano recital. The dentist. You remember the victory dance she did to celebrate accomplishments from winning a race in a swim meet to learning cursive writing. You remember laughing so hard your sides ache, and holding her when she cried, willing to trade your soul to keep her from hurting. You remember how much she loved goodnight kisses, how much she hated black olives, and how very sure she was that you would always be the center of her world.

And then, before you know it, and this poised and accomplished young woman appears–seemingly out of nowhere–with a young man at her side. And not just any young man. The young man. Prince Charming. The forever guy. They have Big News. They can’t wait to tell you. Turns out Prince Charming has even been conspiring with your husband, arranging the surprise proposal, the whirlwind romantic weekend, start of plans that are about to consume you for the next twelve months.

All right, so you’re not the center of her world anymore. You’re the Mother of the Bride. Even the phrase itself makes you sound old. But here’s a secret–this is way too much fun. As Mother of the Bride (in e-mail, I’ve already shortened it to MOB), you get to be like the bride’s best friend, except with bigger hips and more money. You get to go dress shopping, knowing it’s not you who will have to fit into that teensy boned bodice. You kick back, sip your latte and page through style magazines while your daughter agonizes over every little decision. The baton has been passed. And that’s not a bad thing.

--Susan Wiggs

Susan's first book was published by Zebra in 1987, and since then she has been published by Avon, Tor, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Warner and Mira Books. Unable to completely abandon her beloved teaching profession, Susan is a frequent workshop leader and speaker at writers' conferences, including the literary institution Fields End and the legendary Maui Writers Conference. Her novel The Charm School was voted one of RWA's Favorite Books of the Year. She is the proud recipient of three RITA awards for Lakeside Cottage, Lord of the Night and The Mistress, and is often a finalist for the prestigious award. Her books appear regularly on numerous "Best Of" lists.

Susan enjoys many hobbies, including sitting in the hot tub while talking to her mother on the phone, kickboxing, cleaning the can opener, sculpting with butter and growing her hair. She lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with her family.

You can find Susan blogging at The View From Here.

Labels: guest blogging, mother of the bride

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Newly Engaged!

Over the past thirteen years, I've watched Elizabeth Wiggs grow up. Not in person, but over the Internet thanks to her mother, Susan, who shared some really great stories about her beautiful and remarkable daughter. In March, Elizabeth accepted her beau's romantic proposal! As soon as I heard about Elizabeth's engagement, I asked if she would mind answering a few questions about her wedding planning experiences and, fortunately for all of us, she agreed.

Grab your favorite beverage of choice, sit back and read what newly-engaged Elizabeth Wiggs has to say about her journey to the altar so far. I think you'll enjoy this!

1. Did you decide to go with a big wedding or a smaller one? Why?

One thing that I've begun to realize about weddings is that everyone has a different opinion about what constitutes an over-the-top event. According to the more neutral Internet sources, my guest list (which, right now, should yield about 150-200 people) is in the mid-range…but some have heard that number and gasped in horror at the "HUGE" wedding I'm planning, and others have commented on how "simple and intimate" the day will be. So, rather than thinking too concretely about numbers, I simply want to invite everyone who is important to me, to Dave, and to our families.

2. What has been the most difficult part of planning a wedding?

The most difficult part – this early in the game, anyway – has been realizing that planning a wedding isn't all fairytales and rainbows. Sure, I've seen reality shows about monstrous brides, bridesmaids, and family members, but I suppose that I've always thought of stressful wedding planning as a phenomenon specific to spoiled divas and their emotionally imbalanced mothers.

T

his is why it was a shock to me when I had my first wedding-related tussle with my mom. I thought to myself, "This shouldn't happen to me! I'm not a bridezilla! My wedding should be a breeze to plan! Everyone should be on the exact same page as me and be super-duper thankful that I'm not crazy or demanding!" The truth is, you can be the mellowest bride of them all, with the most laid-back family in the world (no, I'm not suggesting that the Wiggs clan fits the description), and you're still going to face some, ahem, challenges. Look at it this way: you're planning an event that is more than likely going to involve a slew of out-of-town guests, a large chunk of money, and, oh yeah, it's also a genuinely important, emotional day for you. Even a Zen-master yogi trained in conflict resolution and transcendent meditation isn't gonna avoid getting a little frazzled during the planning process.

So here's how I've been dealing with the less sparkly, giddy parts of planning my wedding: Dave's aunt told me, when she heard about our engagement, that our wedding should reflect who Dave and I are as a couple. I've made that my mantra. When I get stressed, I remind myself that the details – the food we serve, the color-scheme, where we have the event – will melt away over time, and what remains will be the memory of a celebration with loved ones. Over the years, when our marriage hits rough patches (and it will), we can look back on the day and remember exactly why we decided to be partners in crime.

That's not to say that I'm going to be level-headed for the rest of the engagement. Sometimes I'll sweat the small stuff, and there will be hectic moments along the way to our marriage. But I'm realizing that the most important part of planning this wedding isn't keeping the road smooth – it's learning to address the challenges with grace and compassion. It's remembering to honor the love and support that Dave and my family give me. As soon as I remember that it's not all about me, I return to my newly engaged bliss (sometimes let loose a couple of banshee screeches before I get there, though).

3. What has been your favorite part of planning your wedding?

My favorite part so far has been sharing my excitement with Dave. In the last couple of weeks, I have watched both of us settle happily into the idea of spending forever together. Just before he proposed to me, Dave whispered, "We've been married for a long time now." Of course, we aren't married in the literal sense of the world, and that's not what he meant; he was simply saying to me that our wedding isn't going to change the course of our relationship. Our marriage has been formed over the past couple of years, and our partnership will continue to deepen for the rest of our lives. The wedding, on the other hand, is a blessing, an opportunity to invite everyone who cares for us to share our love for one another. And that's where the joy is for me: planning a day, with Dave, that will bring together our families, friends, and relationship.

Some of the best ideas for the wedding have actually been Dave's. Nothing puts a smile on my face more than getting an email from him in the middle of the day with a link to a quirky, cool venue or a touching thought about an officiator. I'm continually reminded that, more than ever before, we are each other's support, and everything we do for our wedding is a combined effort.

4. How did you make this wedding celebration uniquely yours? (And unusual or interesting touches you chose to go with)?

Growing up in the Northwest, Dave and I both deeply value the pristine landscape that we once took for granted. Before attending college in Los Angeles, neither of us realized what a gift it is to live in a community that hasn't leeched away the health of our land. That's why I'm committed to making choices for the wedding that don't unnecessarily damage our environment. And no, I'm not saying that I'm going to serve my guests organically harvested tree bark, wear moss in my hair, and replace the reception venue's toilet paper with fallen leaves – I'm just going to approach each element of the wedding by asking myself whether there's a (plausible) way that I could be less demanding on the environment.

For instance: I've never seen flowers as a vital, defining part of a wedding. In fact, they don't much matter to me either way. So, aside from my bouquet, which I will pick from my parents' back yard the day before, I'm not going to have any floral arrangements. Instead, for table centerpieces, I'll use simple, beautiful pieces that don't drain the landscape, like smooth beach rocks, soy candles, and painted driftwood.

5. How many attendants do you have? Describe the dresses you've chosen (or would like to choose).

In the interest of keeping my girls comfortable, I'll have them wear tea-length, A-line dresses, hopefully with a number of options regarding the neckline and sleeves. For colors, I'm considering a universally flattering shade of soft gray or creamy aqua. Most importantly, I'll keep the cost per frock under 200 bucks, since I don't want to force any of my ladies to go broke over my wedding.

Here's what I'm not doing: I'm not kidding myself that my gals will re-wear their bridesmaid dresses. Sure, if I do end up finding a dress that all of them love and would wear outside of my wedding, fabulous. And I want each maid to feel beautiful. But if I'm going to pick what they wear, then I need to be clear-eyed about the fact that they might not be as in love with the design as I am.

6. Any favorite songs you'd like the wedding band to play?

Here's what I do *not* want the band to play: YMCA, We Are Family, Celebration, Macarena, Locomotion, The Joker, Electric Slide, Freebird, I Will Always Love You, Shout, Who Let the Dogs Out, or the chicken dance.

Actually, we're not going to have a wedding band – just an iPod and a playlist that guests will vote on via our website (mind you, I say this only weeks into the planning process, with no knowledge whatsoever of how complicated this can and will be). We're keeping our "first dance" song secret because we want our guests to have an "AWWWWWWWWWW" moment when they first hear the melody.

7. If you could go anywhere you wanted to, describe your perfect honeymoon location.

When Dave proposed to me, he had already been thinking about this and suggested Thailand. I also immediately looked into Iceland honeymoon packages.

In reality, though, we're not going to have a month to spend on our honeymoon. Realistically, we'll have a week or two. So I'd rather not lose two days of that time to travelling to our destination, and two more days getting over jet-lag. We're going to find somewhere exotic and fun near our own time-zone, like Alaska or South America, so that we can maximize our time cuddling and practicing the terms "husband" and "wife."

8. Have you received or requested any unique wedding gifts? What are they?

Because we've lived together for almost two years, we have acquired a lot of extremely nice items for our home – so we can be a little less traditional with our registry. The "big ticket" item that we're considering putting on the list is a large, flat computer monitor that we can hook our laptops up to. To be honest, it seems unnatural and a bit uncomfortable to have a registry at all, and I've been wrestling a little with my conscience over it. But every couple that I've spoken to has given me two pieces of advice that I keep repeating to myself whenever I start fretting that it's presumptuous for me to create an in-depth list of the feathers I want for my nest:

a) Your guests are going to get you gifts no matter what, so make it easy for them – and avoid getting ten toasters that you have to run around and return.
b) Don't go cheap out of guilt. Register for what you want – and trust that your guests will spend what they feel comfortable with on your gift. Plus, many places give you a discount on items that you register for but don't receive, so this is a great way to save money on something that you would end up buying anyway.

9. If a millionaire dropped by and offered to pay for the wedding of your dreams, what additions/changes would you make?

I would have much more extravagant décor, with lush fabrics draped from the walls and stunning centerpieces that fill the reception venue with twinkling light. I would consider holding the ceremony and reception at a well-known venue, like the art museum lobby or the aquarium. And I would spend more money on my guests and wedding party, giving them unique gifts that represent how grateful I am for their support and love.

As it is, my guests are getting signed copies of my mother's books, we're leaving the walls bare, and I'm making my own centerpieces. And I still think it's going to be beautiful, personal, and memorable.

10. Have you chosen any interesting/different places for wedding photos?

At the moment, we're considering splitting the ceremony and the reception between Bainbridge Island, where my parents live, and Seattle. Because of this, there will be a ferry ride in the middle of the day, and I'm looking forward to taking over the boat with my wedding party and new husband, reenacting the "I'm flying!" scene from Titanic, and having a true Seattle experience that will forever remind us of the vibrant city where Dave and I set out on our life together.

11. A wedding is a bride's opportunity to act out a fairy tale for a day. What stands out as the most special part of your wedding?

The most special part of the wedding will be the ceremony. When I imagine the day, every other element seems in shadow compared to the moment when Dave and I meet at the end of the aisle and promise, in front of everyone we love, to spend forever with each other.

Elizabeth Wiggs is the daughter of writer Susan Wiggs, so she knows a thing or two about romance. She now works in marketing at a sustainable design firm in Seattle.

Elizabeth attended Pomona College outside of Los Angeles, California, from where she brought home more than a B.A.: when she moved back to Seattle in 2006, she was joined by a 6'4", olive-skinned Canadian with a mane of flowing blond hair who looks like he stepped off the cover of one of her mother's novels. His name is Dave.

On a random Friday last March, Dave surprised Elizabeth at home with flowers duct taped to the wall, a diamond ring, and a weekend "Engageymoon" trip to one of Seattle's nicest hotels. They are moving to Chicago this summer, where Dave will begin law school and Elizabeth will apply to business school. The pair plans to return to Seattle for their wedding on July 25, 2009.

All of us at The Wedding Planners wish Elizabeth and Dave our best for stress-free planning over the thirteen months and a beautiful wedding next year. May the love that brought you together today, only grow stronger and deeper over the years!

Labels: brides, guest blogging, wedding planning

The Anatomy of a Continuity

Be sure to pay a visit to The Pink Heart Society and read my post on how we put together The Wedding Planner continuity. I used excerpts from the emails we sent to one another back in June 2006. Boy, was it fun to look back to the beginning of all of this!

Melissa

Labels: guest blogging, melissa m

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A Florist Remembers...

I met florist extraordinaire, Anne Ryan, in the cry room at the back of church. Our sons were the same age and we spent many Sunday mornings together. Afterwards, we'd head downstairs to have donuts, the treat for good behavior. The kids, not ours!

As I got to know Anne, I discovered she was a florist (and an amazing one at that!) Whenever you read anything about flowers in one of my books, it's Anne who's helped me out. You'll even find her name in the acknowledgment section of SOS Marry Me! A couple years ago, she decided to write a book and showcase her unique floral creations. The result is Design on a Lime and it's fabulous. You should take a peek!

Writer, florist. How could I not ask her to blog for us her at The Wedding Planners?

Here is the question I posed to Anne:

Do you have a ‘most memorable’ wedding or wedding incident to share? What’s the most unusual, beautiful, or interesting place or floral arrangement you’ve ever done?

The most memorable wedding I did was one where I was given total creative license. The bride wanted everything to be red and, unlike most weddings, wanted the “wow factor” to be at the ceremony instead of the reception. The ceremony area was in a room in an old barn that had been converted to a party/wedding venue. It was a small room and it looked like it held about eighty guests. She wanted people to walk in and be “blown away” by the beauty of this old barn room.

The bride made it clear that she wanted cutting edge designs and preferred things that were unusual, modern and elegant. The bride and her mother trusted me and were open to any and all ideas. It is so much more fun to work with people who truly trust you and have an open mind. It also allows the vendor (florist, cake, photographer, etc.!) to do their best work. I came up with the idea of tall floral towers to define the ceremony space and frame the bride and groom. The towers, made of red amaryllis, red tulips, red roses and red poinsettia, were over five feet tall and approximately ten inches wide. The red floral towers sat atop a perfect 20” x 20” square of pomegranates. The display appeared to defy gravity and certainly had the “wow” factor she was looking for to be the focal point for the décor. The room was dark and we wanted to light it with soft romantic light. I strung tiny white Christmas lights along the ceiling and hung votives in the large window (behind the bride & groom). I placed enormous hurricanes, filled with large three wick candles and cranberries, along the sides of the room toward the front. I had the bride purchase a custom red velvet runner for the aisle.

The bride and bridesmaids carried giant amaryllis bouquets (the bride carried red against her white dress and the bridesmaids carried white against their red dresses) with unusually long and dramatic stems. The stems were bound with simple red velvet bands and antique silver buttons.

The flowers were unique, yet elegant. It wasn’t a style for everyone but that was part of what made it fun. Every wedding I take photos with a semi-professional camera and bring an instant camera as back-up. That day my good camera had a dead battery and my little camera was on an ultra low-resolution setting (something I discovered right when I was leaving before the guests arrived). I managed to run back and snap one photo but that was it. The professional photographer took all black and white photos. It was a huge disappointment but I have the look of that wedding etched in my mind forever.

All of my favorite weddings were weddings where the brides gave the green light to be creative. In turning the reins over to a vendor you are taking a risk but, more often than not, that risk will reward you.

Anne Ryan lives near Portland, Oregon with her husband, her two boisterous school age "assistants" and their toddler brother. She caters to a diverse clientele, ranging from local brides to international customers, including Vancouver, British Columbia’s famed Butchart Gardens. You can find more information on her book Design on a Lime at her website

Labels: flowers, guest blogging

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Coming Up This Week...

This week, we've got Kane Wiley, hero from SOS Marry Me! stopping by. We also have two guest bloggers. On Tuesday, florist Anne Ryan will talk about the most memorable wedding she's done so far and on Thursday, Elizabeth Wiggs, daughter of writer Susan Wiggs, will tell us about making plans for her wedding. There will also be posts by The Wedding Planners authors on Wednesday and Friday so be sure to pay a visit.

I'll be blogging at The Pink Heart Society on Thursday, June 12th, and talking about how this entire continuity series came together. I'm using the actual emails sent by us back in June 2006. It should be fun!

Also don't forget this month's contest prize, a $30 gift certificate to Amazon.com and a book. The winner will be chosen from those making comments on the blog. Each comment gives you one entry. So comment, and comment often!

Labels: contest, guest blogging

Thursday, June 5, 2008

A Groom's Perspective

We've talked a lot about weddings and brides, but what about the other half of the happy couple...The Groom. I asked one of the engaged guys on a climbing forum I belong to if he'd mind answering a few questions for me. Here's what he had to say about getting married:

1. How did you propose?
I took her back to the concert venue (large cathedral) where I first laid eyes on her while she performed in a choir. It’s a special place for us and made for the perfect proposal.

2. What has been the most difficult part of planning a wedding?
To be quite honest, it has not been difficult. She is a wedding planner and has everything under control. We began planning 8 months before, and have been in a constant mode of easygoing but continual preparation, so there is nothing that caught us by surprise.

3. What has been the best part of planning a wedding?
Incorporating meaningful songs, people, and activities in the service has been the most fun part of it.

4. How involved are you in the plans?
We have made nearly every decision together, and done nearly every bit of work so far together. About the only thing I haven’t been involved in is the wedding dress.

5. How likely do you think it is that your groomsmen will take part in some of the traditional wedding pranks sometimes practiced on grooms?
I don’t know very many pranks, but I’m sure something will happen. Nothing disruptive in the service though. They know better.

6. How did you choose your groomsmen?
We decided to include siblings and our closest friends, which made for an even 4+4 arrangement. There’s 2 brothers and 2 close friends, so the decision was easy.

7. What do you plan to do to stave off nerves on the morning of your wedding?
No plans, but maybe I just don’t know what will hit me.

8. Any favorite songs you’d like the wedding band to play?
We don’t so much have a wedding band. The only special music performance is an octet choral ensemble of a Song of Solomon text about love.

9. Where do you intend to honeymoon? (Are you more an island type, a European vacation type, a Disneyland type or an outdoorsman)? How did you and your fiancée decide on the perfect place?
European vacation. Her one travel dream is Italy, so I’m making that dream come true.

10. If money and your guests’ expectations were no object, what would be the perfect wedding meal?
Spinach salad with dried cranberries and raspberry vinaigrette, cream cheese mashed potatoes, baked zucchini topped with parmesan, filet mignon, red wine, huckleberry pie with ice cream and coffee.

11. If you and your bride could drive off into the sunset in the perfect wedding car, what would it be?
’08 Corvette

The groom is 25 years old and works in research as a biochemist. He loves backpacking & climbing, performing & listening to choral music, and golf. He met his fiancee at a choral concert where she was performing and he was listening. They were married in April 2008.

I want to thank our groom for answering my questions. Congrats on your wedding! The Wedding Planners wish you and your wife a lifetime of love, laughter and, of course, romance!

Labels: groom, guest blogging, weddings