Did you catch our feature in the most recent Oregon Bride Magazine? We were asked to put together a unique favor with uniquely Northwestern local ingredients and design. Working with Roopal Shah of 1st Comes Love, we had a ton of fun creating this Loteria-inspired wedding favor with a tattoo/rock-n-roll twist.
“Put a spin on the usual symbol of love with these chocolates in the shape of a bleeding heart, brushed in 23K gold leaf from Alma Chocolate. The Mexican Loteria design spices up the 100% recyclable package. Produced by Emee Pumarega of EJP Events (503.284.6756; ejpevents.com); graphic design by Roopal Shah of 1st Comes Love. $14 each; $5 with less expensive Alma truffles. (Photo by Jeremy Dunham)”
We told you there would be more giveaways to come! I was lucky enough to join the fabulous Kim + Phil for coffee the other day. You may remember them from the amazing DIY detail wedding we featured awhile back… Anywho… after sharing a coffee and some chat, these two hit me with an awesome idea! An engagement session giveaway! The beneficient of this giveaway? One of you lucky Portland readers!
MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN: The Space Room, the Hawthorne Boulevard Stumble Zone’s recently remodeled shrine to drunken retro-futurism, is giving away a wedding at the bar, including a licensed officiate, photography, invitations and free appetizers for up to 50 guests, to the couple who write the best 200-word essay on why they want a space-themed wedding. Even at recession wedding prices, this deal’s probably worth $5,000. The deadline to enter is Sunday, Nov. 15. Spaceroomlounge.com/wedding-contest
We checked out the website, and if you win, you’d have to use the prize and get married by March 2010. For the right Portland couple, this might be perfect! Are you thinking of entering? Tell us!
As Rebecca Mead says in her book One Perfect Day: "How we marry is who we are." (Did I, a wedding planner, really just quote this book? I read it recently — review to come soon!)
The biggest wedding planning regrets have to do with when we let how-we-marry get too far away from who-we-are.
If wedding option overwhelm is starting to get to you, I propose another simple test, similar to last week's 25-year-plan:
A wedding day should be made up of: you at your best and most authentic, promises to keep for a lifetime, and the first party you'll host (or co-host with family) as spouses. So ask yourself as you make your wedding planning decisions: "Is this something I would do (or enjoy) in real life?"
If you can't answer yes to this question, there's a problem.
As we get into the early part of the wedding planning process for many of this year’s upcoming clients, we often hear the question:
“Do I really need to…(insert X, Y, or Z element here)?” This may relate to a a vendor decision (to have a videographer or not?) or a tradition decision (to see each other before the wedding ceremony or not), or maybe a design decision (to rent those chivari chairs or not).
Thing is, no wedding planner or magazine or blog can truly help you answer these dilemmas until you’ve explored your own feelings. One method I recommend is what I’ve been calling the “25-year rule“. How will you feel about this decision 25 years from now? When you look back at your wedding album, when you celebrate your silver anniversary, will you say to yourself, “I wish I had ____________, after all”?
I find that many brides and grooms are naturally entering the wedding planning process with not a lot of experience in these types of large-scale, complex events, and so many of the terms that are bounced around can be confusing.
In our {Wedding Planning Definitions} series, I'll examine some different terms and products that come up often in discussions of the wedding planning process.
Today's feature is
"kick-off consult".
This is a program for clients who would like assistance from a wedding planner in the early stages of their engagement, but perhaps have not committed fully to using a planner for full services. The "kick-off consult" usually includes a design component, where the planner talks with you about your overall vision for the wedding in everything from colors and sounds to the food and drink, all the way to what the attendants will be wearing. You can ask questions about the pros and cons of different sites, and also get ideas for sites you may not have thought of on your own. Budget will be discussed, and vendor matches will be suggested.