Category: Tips, Tricks, Ideas

Blogging Bootcamp by The Smart Planner™

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

I had the pleasure of traveling to Seattle this week to attend Blogging Bootcamp by Liene Stevens of Liene-stevens-wedding-planner-coach The Smart Planner.  Liene owns Blue Orchid Designs which plans weddings in Scottsdale, NYC, and Washington DC, and she also owns The Smart Planner, a coaching resource for the business side of wedding planning.

I felt very lucky to be able to spend time with Liene in a small workshop where we talked about our goals for wedding blogging, how to achieve them, and all sorts of tools and tricks to help us get to that success.  I feel like that because of this workshop, our focus at Portland Wedding Coordinator will become even more fine-tuned, and we will be able to offer you better content, prettier design (eventually!), and more frequent updates.

Many thanks as well to Renee Metty of It's Eventful for bringing Liene to Seattle, and to Aria Style for hosting the space for the workshop.  I also had the pleasure of meeting other like-minded wedding bloggers, including Laura from Edit1 Media, Mindy of Tweet My Wedding, Dianne Greene, the Washington State Coordinator for Association of Bridal Consultants, Kirstie of Simply Wed, Sarah of Alderbrook Resort and Spa, Daniela of Bella Signature Design, Jennifer of Taylor'd Events by Jennifer, and Brandi of Soiree Wedding and Event Planning (Idaho). Finally, kudos to Hotel Max for my very swank accommodations!

Do you have something you'd like to see on Portland Wedding Coordinator?  Please feel free to comment, whether you are a bride, groom, or a vendor.  Comments make the blog world go 'round! And thank you for reading!

Saturday Roundup: Spring-spiration!

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

We've now experienced some really epic spring days this year in Portland, followed by a bit of rain and even hail, to remind us how fleeting these sunny days can be. The plum and cherry trees are really blossoming though, and there is definitely a new sweetness in the air!

With that in mind, I just have a few little thoughts…

1.  If you're in the earliest planning period for 2010, why not consider a spring wedding?  Events from January through May in Oregon are often still considered "off season", and it's possible to save a lot of money.  Think about it! Sure, you may take your chances with the weather, but honestly, any time of year you need a backup.  And April, May, June are the months when you can get tulips, ranunculus and peonies…some of the most most sought-after wedding flowers.

Adelman-peony-gardens-spring-wedding-flower

(above photo courtesy Adelman Peony Gardens)

Moonjazz-flickr-riot-of-ranunculus

(above image by moonjazz on flickr)

Woodburn-oregon-tulips-wedding 

(above image, Wooden Shoe Gardens)

2.  I dropped by a recent art opening at Alma Chocolate on NE 28th Ave, by local artist Sayuri Sasaki. Just really adoring her felted and wool animal creations (bunnies, sheep), encaustic paintings of vegetables, and tulle jellyfish! I hope you will stop by Alma in the month of April and get some springtime inspiration as well.

3.  In addition to the art, Alma rocks some delicious chocolate, including lavender caramel truffles, Oregon hazelnut bark, and a wonderland of 24kt gold-painted religious icons in chocolate. I was definitely inspired with some favor ideas that I'll be sharing with you down the road shortly…

4. Finally, there are springtime elements that could work in your wedding, no matter what time of year.  Flowering branches are usually available, or can be created by your florist with a little creative use of hot glue and your favorite blossom.

Nettleton-hollow-faux-flowering-branches (above image, Nettleton Hollow)

Rebecca-thuss-flowering-branches 

(above image, Rebecca Thuss)

July, August, and September are still the top wedding months in our area, but don't forget spring!

Rite in the Rain: A Very Portland Wedding Favor

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Favor alert!  I was strolling through Powell's Books the other day and came across these cute little all-weather notebooks from Rite In The Rain.

Rain-proof-notebook-wedding-favor

Can't think of very many things that would be more Northwest-y to give to your guests than this!  A waterproof notebook in which they can record their thoughts about the weekend, the wine tastings they might go to during their visit, or important names and numbers as they catch up with friends and family.

The great thing is, the fiber is from FSC Certified sources, printed with soy ink, the covers are made of post-consumer content, and the whole shebang is made in USA in the Pacific Northwest. You can even order custom imprints and sizes.

Elegant Bride, Spring 2009 issue is out! (And we’re in it!)

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Elegant Bride Spring 2009
I love getting the mail. Especially when there is a new bridal magazine to read.  All the pretty pictures!  So when I opened up the cover of the Spring 2009 Elegant Bride magazine, it was a treat to see one of our clients' weddings featured in their "New Ideas" section. ("Buttoned Up", page 66.)

It brought back great memories of connecting with a really fun client (Amber of The Ribbon Jar), and bringing all of her and her fiance's ideas to life.

I also loved the cover color scheme of tangerine and green — reminded me of our EJP table setup for Art of Weddings in January. This is sure to be a hot color choice in 2009.

Thanks to Elegant Bride for the shout-out!

Elegant-bride-p66-spring-2009

Color Scope: Electric Plum

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Spring is here, and I am in love with the spring plums. I like to call it "electric plum" because it seems to have more energy than plain old purple.  It's not exactly purple, there's a little warmth, a bit of pink and raspberry in there.  This would be a great main color with ivory, gold, silver, or graphite as the neutrals.  You could even throw in some chartreuse or a bit of spring green. Darling!

Spring Plums
Spring



Purple n Lime
Purple n Lime

Many thanks to the users of Polyvore for these images! Click the above links to go to their pages.

Do you need wedding insurance?

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Wedding insurance–nobody seems really excited to talk about it, since it means bringing up the possibility of less-than-happy events occurring around what's supposed to be a totally blissful day.  However, I recently had an event that reminded me that it is something we should all be talking about. A client called to tell me that a completely freak accident had landed her father-in-law to be in the hospital, the day before the wedding. There was no way the wedding could proceed as planned.

Aside from something happening in your family that might cause your wedding to be postponed, many wedding and event cancellation insurers also provide protection in case a wedding vendor goes out of business, or if weather prevents the day from going as planned.  Bottom line is – take a look at your total investment in the wedding day.  You insure your car and your house, right? If your wedding day is anywhere near as important or as much of an investment as those items, then consider insurance.

Wedding insurance is just like reserving a tent for backup when you have an outdoor wedding, or carrying an umbrella in case of rain.  A couple of sites offering this service are wedsafe.com and protectmywedding.com.  Gales Creek, a local Portland company, provides wedding liability insurance, and may also provide cancellation insurance.  You should also check with your own insurance broker to figure out which product is right for you. Understand the difference between liability insurance and cancellation insurance.

I hope you'll consider getting wedding insurance; at the same time I also hope you'll never have to use it!