wedding planner

Whistling While We Work: Life As Part Of The Fairy Tale Industrial Complex

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Wedding professionals are in the Fairy Tale business.  Brides come to us with plans in their heads, many of which have been growing like Jack’s beanstalk since they were little girls, and have reached way up into the clouds.  They know what they want things to look like from their centerpieces right down to the ribbon swags hung to block off the aisle.  These days, what with television wedding shows and coverage of over the top celebrity weddings, everyone feels pressure to have a “Fairy Tale” wedding regardless of budget.

The Ultimate Fairy Tale Wedding Site (yes we will go with you to Disneyland)!

And so we wedding planners and floral/event designers become responsible for not just a wedding, but for a dream come to life.  We become magical elves, fairy godmothers, and the Wizard of Oz all in one. (He may not have been much of a wizard, but he was one heck of an event designer).

This is a big responsibility, and one we take very seriously at My Little Flower Shop.  We listen to a bride (and/or groom) when they explain their vision, work with them, and their budget to create the most magical wedding possible.  We don’t try to shoehorn anyone into something we have in mind, but instead weave together their resources and our talents to make their dreams come true.

So gotta run…time to wave the wand a little.  Note to self: research the existence of a Fairy Godmother’s Union.

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

 

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My Little Wedding Advice Shop: Brides, To Thine Own Self Be True (and Caring)!

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My Little Wedding Advice Shop: Brides, To Thine Own Self Be True (and Caring)!

A bride of ours has had a hard week. Two of her bridesmaids have had “midnight meltdowns” requiring phone conversations into the wee hours. Her work hours stay the same, as always, so she’s tired and stressed out. Not exactly optimal conditions for managing her own wedding planning tasks which are weighing on her, making her more stressed out, so she’s staying up late…it’s a vicious cycle.

For the best wedding day, be kind to yourself in the months beforehand

   Does this sound familiar? Are you a “rock” in the lives of a   lot of the people you know? Well, now that you are in wedding planning mode there’s someone more important that you’ve got to make your number one priority: yourself. It’s hard to say no, and to tell people you can’t be available in ways you have been, but planning a big celebration of a rite of passage is no small task, and comes with stressors of its own, both physical and emotional. You can’t spend your energy taking care of everyone else in your life because there will be nothing left for you.

So we advised our bride to gently ease herself out of the role of “rock,” because she’s got a rock of her own now, and will want all her energy to ride the rollercoaster that is planning a wedding. Good advice for any overextended bride. As RuPaul says, “if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are going to love somebody else?” She always asks if she can get an Amen at that point – and I will give one. Amen!

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Go Ahead! Be My Guest! Oh Wait…Can I Take That Back?

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My blog the other day linking to the information on how to get an official White House greeting for your wedding also brought up the rest of that day’s post about managing one’s guest list.  We all have to do our best to be diplomatic, but let’s just all take a moment today and say a prayer of thanks that we have more control over our guest lists than the White House has over theirs. Wishing all the best to the event planners in charge of the Governor’s Association dinner this week, and to those working on the Governor’s Ball at tonight’s Academy Awards!

Brides: Ready, Set, List!

How does one take control of the roster? Besides hiring the experts at My Little Flower Shop to keep you calm, cool and collected, here are 5 favorite tips to keep in mind.

List early, and often

Don’t wait to start making a guest list.  Most likely, we don’t have to tell you this – a lot of brides start a list even before they get engaged.  Nevertheless, for the less future-focused, it’s good to have a starting point. So just start by writing down anyone you can think of that you might want to invite.

Never say never

Once it’s time to start narrowing the pool, don’t invite people assuming “they won’t come.” Even those relatives in Malta your family hasn’t seen for 2 generations might be so touched by the invitation that they decide to get on a plane.

Life on the B list

Despite all the refrigerator magnets, the emails and the skywriting, there are still some people who will have other plans on your wedding day.  You’ve got a limited period of time to fill in, so you haven’t a moment to lose.  Have a back-up list of guests at the ready, addresses and all, so you can fire off invitations as the regrets come in.

Embrace your inner beancounter

Spreadsheets can be beautiful things. You’ll be so happy you started keeping everything in an orderly fashion. One gal we know says the address spreadsheet is her favorite thing that came out of the wedding. They’ve used it for everything  from kids birthday parties to holiday letter personalization. (It was a perfect opportunity to ask to be removed from her holiday letter list, but I just couldn’t. Bless her heart).

Just because you went to hers…

This is not Kindergarten. It’s $125-a-plate-gourmet-brunch-in-the-garden. Every girl you’ve ever seen walk down the aisle doesn’t by default belong on your list. Grown ups know this. If this culls immature friends from your life, lucky you.

Always invite the president

This is one case where you really can assume that they won’t come. But, if you send an invitation to the White House, you’ll get a special greeting back in honor of your wedding. Pretty darned cool. 

The Honorable Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama
The White House
Greetings Office Room 39
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

A wedding greeting from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

On the subject of the White House and weddings, can we just go on record that Prince William is unbelieveably rude? And that you can put a big old tiara on that Kate chick but she’ll never be as regal as Michelle Obama? But I digress.

It all boils down to this: Focus on who you two really want to smile at on your way back up the aisle. An informal poll of the MLFS staff revealed that is highly likely to be one of the happiest moments of your life. Who do you want to share that with? Go forth and list!

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