To DIY or Not to DIY ...

I find that weddings and creativity can be a wonderful combination or a disaster. If you are unlike me and are able to get your creative ideas from your head into physicality, while at the same time, managing to not become overwhelmed with everything else wedding process related, then it works in your favor ... however, if you can't quite get what you want to come to fruition or its taking over your life and getting in the way of planning your big day ... then being a DIY'er is causing more problems than it should.

I am all for DIY projects for your wedding - it makes the day that much more personal and intimate and your guests will absolutely appreciate the finer details. In this economy as well as with everything seemingly a click or short ride away, anything is possible. But, make sure what you want to DIY is manageable as far as scope of project and completion in a timely manner.

I've been meeting with potential clients lately and it seems like everyone wants to DIY their own florals for the wedding day. Being an obsessed flower junky myself, I love this idea, but, there are other factors to include in this decision besides channeling your inner florist and wanting to save money. Who is going to help you physically buy all the flowers needed and who is going to help you make bouquets, centerpieces, ceremony arrangements, boutonnieres and anything else you want/need? Before you commit to DIY - make sure you've "hired" some laborers. Do research into how long each arrangement takes (I would goggle this on the Internet based on what you want in each arrangement AND do a couple trials first), then, realize that the week of your wedding you and your 'employees' are going to be busy scouting flowers or other items to create these amazing homespun masterpieces and not relaxing before the big day. Lastly and most importantly - where are you going to store these flowers? Cut flowers need to be refrigerated in order to not wilt! Make sure to put some thought into where you can store flowers from when you purchase them to after you create them until you need them ...

Don't get me wrong, I love DIY for a wedding, just make sure you're fully committed to every aspect of the project.

Happy Planning!
-Lisa

The written word ...

We've been so busy getting ready for an upcoming wedding ... but I realized that I need post about something so vital to a smooth planning process. Contracts. They are critical to ensuring a successful wedding day. You've put a ton of effort into choosing your vendors - make sure they perform exactly as they should on your wedding day!

A contract should contain the following points at the bare minimum:

Event Date
Name of those providing the services, name of those receiving the services
Total price
List of services (an addendum i.e. the service proposal works perfectly too)
In case of an emergency - what happens
Any other miscellaneous items (feeding vendors, other "hidden" costs - lodging, travel etc)

It is so important to get something in writing that is signed by the vendor and you. Without this piece of paper, your vendor may try and charge you extra or claim this, that or something else and unfortunately, you won't be able to argue much because there isn't something in writing. Even if its on a napkin - get everything written down and signed!

Happy Planning!
-Lisa

Finding Inspiration ...

It may be because its winter and I am more of a summer gal, but I am having a hard time finding inspiration lately! I've spent the better part of the last couple of weeks working furiously on upcoming weddings and events - which all got interrupted by the birth of my best friends baby girl on Sunday! I am aiming to be back on track this week, but only if I can find some inspiration.

I did however, have a peek at Snippet and Ink today and clicked on a link to an Etsy storefront ... I have spent the last hour staring at these amazing photographs, trying to convince myself that I shouldn't buy one or more ...

Where do you find your inspiration?

Catch Up & Finding Time ...

Sorry for my week long absence! Its been a very busy few days, we have a wedding coming up in a short few weeks, so we are getting all the final touches ready. Which ... brings me to my topic today: Timelines!

Whether you've hired a planner or not, or your venue does this or not, you need a timeline for your wedding weekend. It is so helpful to create a worksheet that outlines exactly how you want your day to flow. It'll include all the pertinent information: when to get ready, when to go to the ceremony, when to take pictures, when to party (plus cake cutting, bouquet toss, garter toss, anything else you want to include, like dances, announcements etc). Having everything laid out clearly in a format that includes time will tell your bridal party, vendors and parents what exactly is happening and when/where they need to be.

Spend some time with your timeline, tweak it over the course of a few days before sending it to your vendors and bridal party.

If you'd like to see a sample of a timeline that we use at Anderson Green Events, just email me! lisadee@andersongreenevents.com.

Happy Planning!
-Lisa

Blog Love!

We are so honored to be featured today on With This Ring, a fantastic blog for wedding related inspiration. Check it out, you'll find tons of wonderful tidbits of advice and ideas! I love this blog and use it daily to find unique ideas for my clients.

Thanks Darci!

Yummy, Tasty and Good for you?!

I was recently introduced to Gilda Mulero, a chef in New York City. She specializes in at-home cooking lessons where healthy meals are on the menu. She now offers a Cooking 101 course for Newlyweds to learn how to use their new nifty registry items and cook a great meal. I really wish someone had gotten this for me - after we got married I went on a 'we are married, we need to eat healthy kick ... it lasted a week considering I love carbs, butter and sugar', I digress ... But, with Gilda, you can start off your marriage with healthy, awesome food AND figure out how to use everything you got as presents - its a win win for the whole kitchen! The even better part of the Newlywed course - a wedding goer can purchase you the certificate for you! Genius!

Check Gilda out at Naturally Tasty, which has a slice of her culinary creations on it - you'll be drooling! And, make sure to ask for a Cooking 101 for Newlyweds Certificate on your registry!

Real Weddings

This is a wedding we did in New York City at Tavern on the Green. The bride wanted to use lots of color and spring flowers to create a light and airy feel to the Rafters room. All of the florals came from Ariston, who really understood what the bride was trying to achieve and did a fantastic job! On this wintry, yuck day, enjoy the images of spring!

(photo credits Brett Matthews Photography)

Relax ...

The closer we get to the actual wedding day, the more I stress the word RELAX to the couples that I am working with. Relaxing before your big day is a huge part of the planing process and I get confused as to why so many people don't relax before the wedding day arrives.

Firstly, stress isn't good for anyone (a small personal tidbit - I am awesome stress internalizer - not a good trait at all), and while planning a wedding can be stressful - don't let it be! I find that stress in planning does three things:

1. It impedes your planning process because you are so stressed you are unable to make sound decisions.
2. It stresses everyone around you, which in turn causes you more stress.
3. It hurts your skin and that phenomenal engagement glow you've been sporting.

No one wants a stressed out bride, least of all the groom (and probably the bride herself!), so don't sweat the little things and make sure when you are going through the planning process in the months ahead of the wedding that you build in time the month before the wedding to relax, sit back and enjoy. To me, this is the most paramount item on your planning timeline. Let all your vendors stress out for you, that's what our job is (well, firstly our job is to make planning non stressful to begin with, but ...).

Your wedding day is going to fly by in an instant (bittersweet after all that planning for how many months?!), so you want to be relaxed so you can enjoy all your hard work and the excitement of having tied the knot. As so many brides tell me: Its just one day of our lives, marriage is much longer. I couldn't agree more!

Happy (stress free) Planning!
-Lisa