How to keep track of wedding planning meetings

Keeping track of the wedding vendors you meet and options you see is the key to effective wedding planning.  Referring back to your notes from different meetings will be handy, so read on for tips on keeping wedding meeting information organized and accessible while on the go.

Palm Springs wedding flowers
A table setting at a Palm Springs wedding – centerpieces by My Little Flower Shop, photo by True Photography Weddings

1)   Always carry a small notebook and pen.  This is a good rule for life in general –messenger bags have those little tubular holders sewn in for a reason.  Sure there’s “an app for that” but the old fashioned method is the simplest and fastest way to jot down notes when touring a venue or tasting cakes.  Later on your thoughts are easy to find, just flip through.  No scrolling or squinting required.

2)   Use your phone – as a camera!  Before cell phones became essential accessories that run our lives, a camera on a phone was a very fancy feature. It’s still super useful. Capture a table setting, colors that inspire,  or the hours on the window of a store you need to come back to.

3)   Don’t forget to KISS! Definitely kiss your sweetie, but also Keep It Simple Silly! Worrying about elaborate notebooks and apps for tracking information take away from what really is a fun process if you let go a little.  So relax, remember your pen, and plan away!

No time to get to the spa? No problem. DIY it in your home bathroom.

Spas are wonderful, and there’s nothing more luxurious than being pampered for an afternoon at a lovely spa, especially as you prep for your wedding.  But who has an afternoon these days?  And if you did, would you spend it lying around with cucumbers on your eyes? No, you’d be catching up with sixteen different things you were meant to do yesterday.  So what’s to be done? Create your own spa in your bathroom at home.

If you look around at a spa with a critical eye, you’ll see that that mood is set by many things that you can recreate at home. The three most important, conveniently, are the three least expensive.

  • Lighting  There’s always a soft glow in a spa, making everything feel relaxing. You can’t work in dim light, right? You have to surrender to being peaceful.  At home, you can put your bathroom lights on a dimmer.  When it’s bathtime for the kids, you’ve got all the light you need. But when it’s time for your little getaway, you can dial it down.

    This too, could be a  spa!
    This too, could be a spa!
  • Scent Oh, the smell of a spa. Sometimes it’s floral, sometimes beachy, but always takes you somewhere other than everyday life.  One of the parts about spa-ing it up at home that’s better than your local day spa is that you can customize the scent. It can be exactly you.  Use a diffuser, candles or even your favorite perfume on strategically placed cotton balls (I swear it works) and your bathroom smells like a personally customized dreamland.
  • Sound Music sets the tone of any situation, and again, here you can customize.  If Enya irritates you, hearing her ghostly echoes kind of harshes your mellow at the spa, am I right? At home, you can customize your playlist, including only what you love.  Mozart, Marvin Gaye, whatever soothes you.

So now you’ve got a low-lit, sweet-smelling bathroom, with an awesome soundtrack. Get in there and start relaxing!

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

Bonus: Check out this awesome recipe for citrus infused spa-water!

A Wedding Reception That’s Just Desserts? Yes, Please!

A Dessert Party is a wonderful idea for an event whether it’s a shower, engagement or even a small wedding. (believe it or not, you don’t need sea bass or prime rib to have a great reception!)  A well styled buffet of elegant desserts can be a showstopper. You can go the DIY route, or find a local bakery (like Palm Springs’ own Pastry Swan) to take over. Either way, vary up your offerings – cakes, petits-fours, home-made cookies,

 

Petits Fours Français : Petits fours עברית: פט...

Live well, and love well

 

-Dinah