Guest book OR........

Are you looking for an alternative to the traditional guest book for your wedding? Well once again Etsy has came through with many of the amazing sellers offering some really cute and different items for your "Guest non-book".

I find that brides these days really want to personalize their wedding and offer their guests with something that they have never experienced. There are many ways to do this and I think one small way is to incorporate something besides your standard guest book for everyone to sign. Yes you may look through it the week after your wedding but chances are you may not look at it again until your 10 year anniversary.

Some ideas that are not pictured below could be hanging a huge blank canvas and offering up some spray paint to create a graffiti type wall hanging. Now that is not really going to work out for an indoor event due to massive amounts to fumes but in that case how about an easel with some paints and brushes? Another fun idea is a huge chalkboard with various colored chalks. After the event you can spray it with a spray lacquer such as Rustoleum Painters Touch Spray Lacquer to preserve the board.

No matter what you decide on keep in mind you never have to go with the norm. Make your wedding an event that reflects you and your significant other! After all that is what it is all about. Right?

Song of the night....

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Words and photo of the day...

I think of you always

My heart beats hard and I want your touch

Time stands still without you

You are art to my eyes

I love you like none other......

Revisiting this idea... Wai Ching

Once upon a time (about a year ago) I did a post on Wai Ching who is an AMAZING talented designer. You know me I am all about things that are just a tad bit different then the norm. Yes I love a gorgeous white gown just as much as anyone. BUT these gowns make my heart thump. If one of my brides came to me saying "I bought a Wai Ching dress today." I would fall over with envy and delight all in the same emotional state. By far Wai Ching is my all time favorite favorite designer for bridal gowns. I hope to see some new designs from her soon but in the mean time I will just show you these amazing glorious pieces of eye candy....Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Make sure you visit her site to see all of the awesomeness...

This is the dress I would want.. (above)

Photo / words of the day..

Found on one of my fav blogs LeLove. If you have never visited their site you should!

Ringin' in a wedding.....

Yes, I have heard that diamonds are a girls best friend. Lord knows I have my fair share but I am all for mixing that up and using other awesome jewelry for wedding and engagement rings. Don't get me wrong I know most and many girls want a big fat rock in the form of a sparkly polished diamond. I am just saying there are many other options out there for those who may enjoy something different.

I spend many hours searching on Esty for cool little things and just collect shots as I go. If you haven't checked out Esty's Wedding section then you must go now. Leave my blog and come back later. It will be much later too by the way, because you will get sucked in and hours will have passed before you realize it. Either way I found all of these cool rings on Etsy and just thought I would share. For those who may want something that isn't your standard wedding set.

I love this band for a guy or a girl. I think it is super cool. I would totally wear it myself.

This little baby is simple and that is why I love it. I adore the hammered look on the ring itself and the small stone gives it a little oomph.

Not sure how to ask him/her to marry you? how about with this cute ring? Which is stackable so girls if you must have that diamond you could always add it to the set.

Loving this inlay.
This ring is by far my favorite. I love the hammered look against a dainty pearl. It is feminine yet strong. LOVE IT.
Sapphires are one of my favorite jems. So it would make sense if I had this ring. What about you? What is your favorite? It does not have to be a diamond to be amazing!

Photo of the day

Meet Jessica and Derek. A totally cute and cool couple who gave out one of the best CD's ever for wedding favors. Loved their music choices. Steph Keller was the photographer here and she caught this pic at just the perfect moment. Love it

VENDORS, VENDORS, VENDORS Part 2

So during my late night post last night I got tired and ran out of typing skillz. So here is the continuation of Vendor post...

DJ or Band... Of course every reception is going to have music. Ok I should not say EVERY but for the most part. Whether you decide on a band, a DJ, an Ipod whatever you need to cover some bases. First of all not all DJ"s are the same. Just like every bride is different and the style varies the same applies with the DJ. Some may like a DJ that really is energetic and gets out there on the dance floor and teaches people how to do certain dances or takes the mic and jokes and plays around. Some people like a DJ that more or less stands back plays the music and make the necessary announcements. No matter what your taste is one thing they have in common is they will be making some announcements. You MUST make sure they know what they will be talking about. Make sure you do a final meeting and discuss what you expect in terms of events to happen such as toasts, cake cutting, dances, and so on and the order and music you want played. Go over how to properly pronounce names. Most good DJ's will ask you these questions if they don't you may want to continue your interview process.
Same applies with a band. Be sure they are able to do these announcements in a professional manor as well. You do not want to find out last minute (at the reception) that the band did not realize they were doing the introductions or getting the guests ready for toast and so on. On the subject of bands, all of them will have a demo CD or clips of songs on their website. Listen to them. Look at their play list. Do they have the songs you want to hear? Can they learn them if they don't?

Cake.. YUMM.. cake tasting is one of the best things you get to do as you are planning your wedding. A few things to keep in mind when you venture out for this delightful excursion... Style of the cake, how detailed do you want it to be? Take some photos of cakes you have seen and love, show them to the baker. How do you want your cake displayed? If you think you are going to use a pedestal cake stand make sure that your cake is going to be able to safely sit on it. You do not want to go to cut the cake just to find out the stand is going to tumble over upon pressure. Are you thinking cupcakes? How do you want them displayed? Do you want flowers on your cake? If so your florist will need info on that.. will they be tucked in between the layers? What size will the space be? Do you just want some for the top? You will need to coordinate times between the cake delivery and the floral delivery to ensure that one or the other is able to put these flowers on the cake. As far as tasting goes.. most places ask for an appointment so set them up and go eat cake! Oh also most cakes come with "parts" that need to be cleaned and returned. Do not forget or they will charge you for them.

Stationary... You need to send out your invitations at least 6 to 8 weeks in advance. SO with that being said that does not mean go out and order them 8 weeks in advance. They need to be created and approved and printed! The sooner you can get them done the better off you will be. There are a number of amazing designers in this area and they all have a different style so LOOK AT THE WEBSITES! and BLOGS.. (broken record sez) You will save yourself some time if you find a designer that fits your style. Creating this stationary is a time consuming process as well. The designers want to really feel your vision and create something you are going to fall in love with. I think that this is also a very important element of the wedding because it is setting the tone for your event. Will it be casual and fun? Elegant? Traditional? Modern? Or an offbeat type of "your own style" event? Either way you go there is someone out there that will be able to make your paper goods how you want them to look. Other elements you need to think about are seating charts, place cards, escort cards, table numbers, programs, save the dates, and basically anything that needs printed. Obviously some of those items will come later once you have guest counts and such, but the Save the dates and invitations need to be an earlier priority. Don't forget postage for the invitations and the RSVP cards! Another fun thing is many designers can create coordinating stamps via zazzle.com or other websites.

OK.. I went back and forth with myself trying to decide if I would talk about the Wedding Planner... I decided that I will. Now I am not going to make this portion of the post an advertising section for myself I just want everyone to be informed and get an understanding here. Cincinnati has a group of amazing wedding planners. I feel pretty lucky to be a part of this group and I love the fact that we are all able to talk, learn from, and network amongst each other to better ourselves and our businesses. When it comes to hiring a wedding planner I always tell my "potential" clients to go out and meet a few more. Don't even book me until you have spoken to at least one or two other planners. I want my client to feel like they are hiring the person that they are most comfortable with and really is able to get the vision that they, the client, has. If they have no vision then this planner needs to be able to create it for you. Now depending on the package you may choose or service levels you need keep in mind that planning a wedding is not something you do in 6 hours. If I am planning a full wedding I am putting in at least 150-200 hours of time making this happen. If you are planning your own wedding chances are you will put in 250-260 plus hours. It is another full time job for the couple. So don't walk into a planners office and expect them to give you a quote that is anything less then what you are paying for photography. AT LEAST. Unless you are just using us for a day of / month of coordination. Even then we are still putting in 40 plus hours to make sure every detail is covered and the actual day of, we are there anywhere from 10-15 hours. Once again I will say "you get what you pay for" here. Look for an experienced planner that you feel good about. We are going to be around you ALOT so get used to our cute little faces and let your mind rest knowing that all of your bases are being covered. Will you talk to us everyday? Nope, chances are you will talk to us once a month sometimes even less depending on what level of services you are using. that does not mean that we are not working on your event. Many times we are able to work off of the info we gather at out initial meetings. Also keep in mind that we have worked with many, many, many vendors and venues. We know the good the bad and the ugly. We have budgeting experience. We can allocate your money to work for the event in the most suitable way. Mostly we have design knowledge. We are able to look at an empty room and visualize your desires without having a thing set up and be able to keep in in check with your budget. When you are meeting with a wedding planner ask questions! Ask for photos and references. Ask to see a client binder, we all have them and if the planner does not have one they can show you well then I would be concerned. I think we all have different ways of presenting ourselves but I know one thing we all are proud of the events that we create and are equally as excited to show you them and tell you about the process of creating it. Look at websites and blogs! Obviously if you are here you are a blog reader. I am pretty positive all of this areas wedding planners have a website and a blog. Because once again we are happy to show off our work. Will your wedding be perfect just because you have a planner? Probably not. BUT chances are you will not know about it! We are stylish problem solvers. I can not speak for every planner here but I know when things get stressful I work even better. My poker face is insane. I can look at the bride and she will never know that her centerpieces are an hour late. Because we already picked up her bouquets and delivered them to her for photos. We handle problems with ease. Anyways to end the final chapter of the VENDOR posts. Please do not be afraid to ask questions! You are a one time shopper. We do not expect you to know every detail about what you should be doing or how much somethings cost. We totally get the fact that you probably have never planned a wedding, heck some of my clients have never even BEEN to a wedding! So we know that any question you have is important. We want to educate you on what to do and help you along the way. Like they say in school.. "The only stupid question is the one not asked."
SP HAPPY PLANNING AND HAVE FUN MEETING TONS OF COOL NEW PEOPLE/VENDORS.

VENDORS VENDORS VENDORS...

Whew! Okay after 4 weekends of solid weddings I can confidently say that YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! It is much easier to compare and appreciate when I am working back to back weekends. It seems as though I am really are able to appreciate the vendors that know what the heck they are doing even more then I would normally.

Where to start... OK lets start with the photographer.There are SOOOO many photographers in this area and many are so very talented. I think my preferred photographer list is longer then any other vendor set. I am not going to start blurting out cost. I am just going to say that when you are researching look at the website! Do they have galleries of recent work? Do they have a blog? (In my opinion all of the good photographers have a blog. Why? Because they are proud of their work and it is easy to post some recent pics of their most recent weddings or events and give some personal narrative along with it. Not only does that give you a visual but it also gives you a small peek into their personality. Which is my next point. You will be spending an entire day with this person or preferably people. Do you want someone following you around that you really are uncomfortable with? Or maybe their personality just clashes with yours. No! I think not so make sure that when you meet with the potential vendor that not only do they have samples of their work to offer but that you like the person as well! ALSO I have heard this statement many times. "I am not paying X amount of dollars for someone to stand around and take pictures for 10 hours." Guess what.. Yes they are taking pictures for 10 hours, standing around? heck no! I have seen photographers climbing light post to get that perfect shot! Not only are they doing some creative maneuvering but once they get home they sit in front of a computer and edit for HOURS and DAYS even to make your photos look amazing. So keep in mind once the wedding is over the photographer is not just putting your pics on a disc or in a book and sending them off. They put in a huge amount of time on them after the fact.

Caterer. OK!! When you are searching for a caterer there are a few things that you really need to find out. One, do you like the food. DUH that is a no brainer but keep in mind you are feeding your guest a meal that should be better then going to a cafeteria lunch. Figure out what your budget allows for and make the best of it. Go taste the food and make sure that it is good quality food. Second, will the staff bus tables? Will they have enough staff? Will they do your captains call or place your plated meals? Do they pass Hors Devours? Do they offer rental items such as your china, glassware, salt pepper and sugar holders?, flatware? Will they cut your cake? Will they serve your cake? Do they offer bar tender service (if needed) will they pass beverages during a cocktail hour? Will they clean up?

Videographer.. Some may find this is an added luxury. In my opinion I think it is something that is definitely worth investing in. Videographers these days have the ability to capture the emotion and feeling with sound and put it together in a way that photos can not really do. You get the true capture of the tears and laughter and often it is put together in a seamless movie that you WILL enjoy watching. When looking for a videographer ask for a sample video. Also many videographers blog just as often as the photographers do. Check out the blogs! They will have plenty of sample videos to view. The same editing applies to video as did photo. They may even put in more hours I can not i know this for sure because this is not an area that I am an expert in. But I do know that to put video clips to music and timing it perfectly so that

it runs together just right has to take a ton of time.

Florist. I think this is an area that people really struggle with when it comes to cost. Lets start with choosing a good floral designer first though. There are a handful of designers here that I absolutely LOVE. First of all I think it is important to decide on what style you are looking for, traditional, modern, funky, contemporary, simple elegant,what makes you happy when it comes to your flowers? Then start looking at websites. I have a hard time when I look up a florist website and see an FTD standard template with 60 premade bouquets and arrangements to choose from. I really hate that to be honest. I love when I get a nice website with real photos of events they have done and a blog. (is it obvious that I am a blog freak?) I want to see their creativity and once again if they are proud of their work they post and talk about it. Also many GOOD florist will go over table top designs with you as well as all other elements of the events design. That is a time consuming process as well as the actual creating of the arrangements. So make sure you keep that in mind when you get your floral quote back. Flowers can be expensive. Most floral designers are not growing these babies in their back yard. They order them so keep in mind what time of year it is, are these flowers tropical? If so chances are they are coming from somewhere other then Ohio. Next when the designers order the flowers they do not come pre arranged. You have to pay these guys and gals to make them gorgeous. It doesn't just happen on its own. These people put hours upon hours into creating the arrangements so they are your visualization. So give them credit for that. Floral quote seem high even after taking all of the above statements into consideration? Ask the designer about using some other less expensive elements. Candles, branches, feathers, other items of texture. Many times they will rent these to you for a bit less then what peonies will cost in the dead of winter. Mix up your table arrangements, alternate flowers on one and some other object on another. Floral designers are super creative and talented people. They will help you create something that will work for you.

Beauty. I have posted on this before in a post of its own but I am hitting it again. Hair and makeup. DO A FREAKING TRIAL! These vendors expect this! I mean it is your wedding. Maybe you have never had your makeup done prior to this event. Maybe you have never had an up-do or a formal hair style. Take photos, tell them what you like! They can not read your mind. It is your hair and your face. The purpose of the trial is to TRY. Try different styles and looks till you find the one you love. Do not be afraid to ask these artists to do looks that you like. Once again, TAKE PICTURES. I know you girls search the web for hours at a time looking for wedding ideas. Print the pics you like and let them try it on you. Just because it looks amazing in the pic it may not be a style that works for you. DO you want to wait until the wedding day to find this out? NOPE.. Is the trial free you ask? Ummm no.. Some may include it in the price, many don't. Keep in mind this is time and their work that you are using from this vendor. Do you go into work for free? Heck no. So why expect anyone else to? Yes they are probably doing this because they love it. But keep in mind they are doing a JOB that they love. They also have bills to pay just like you do. One thing I would like to hit while on this specific vendor group is timing. If your wedding is at 4 don't go for your hair and makeup at 2! Chances are you will be doing photos prior to the wedding and hair and makeup take time. In my opinion the earlier you get it done the better off you will be. 4:00 wedding.. 8 AM hair 9:15 ish makeup. Those are start times if your whole bridal party is using the same person then time is essential. Your hair and makeup will last all day of if is done by someone who knows what they are doing. Once again look at websites.

That is all I am going to hit on tonight. Sorry if I seem harsh but I think brides need to know these things when trying to pick a vendor and they need to be told in a straight up manor. So there ya have it girlz and the random boi. I hope you find this helpful to some sort of degree.

jen

YWBJ wants you to meet Renee

Renee is our new intern for the season. Even though she is starting somewhat late into wedding season we have plenty for her to experience. Here is a little bit about Miss Renee..

2009 Professional Bridal Consultant™ Designation Program, Distinguished Honors Graduate The Association of Bridal Consultants (home study course)

2004-2005 Post-Baccalaureate Paralegal Certification Program University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio

2000-2004 Bachelor of Science in Criminology, Honors Program Distinction University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida

She is a smart young lady with a desire to plan weddings so I think she will be a nice addition to YWBJ and I hope she gains a ton of knowledge from us here. I threw her into one of the hardest weddings I had to date last weekend and she handled it like a champ. So I have a ton of faith in her and think she will do a remarkable job in any future events.

Oneonta Wedding = smoldering heat with hot results

For Eric and Stephanie's wedding last Saturday I think we had record heat for the summer. What I think was like 93 felt like 193 after starting set up at Onenonta at 10:30 AM and not finishing until about 5:00 PM (THAT WAS JUST SETUP!) Either way this venue is AMAZING!!! I love it. Yes it requires a good amount of work but it was so worth it in the end to see how gorgeous it turned out. In all honesty I love when there is a lot of setting up to do. Call me crazy but when I am busy all day it makes me feel much more productive.

Anyone looking for a historic venue should definitely check this place out. I think that what you get for the somewhat reasonable price is very much worth it. Plus the place is GORGEOUS!

So on to the details of the day. Steph chose a beach theme. Which was done just right since the location sits right on the banks of the Ohio river it was suiting. The colors were pool blue and canary yellow with white. LOVED the color scheme. The table setting included white lap linens, pool blue napkins, which I had in my stock so they were able to use them free. (A nice bonus when you use YWBJ) the centerpieces were a small trumpet type vase(which I also carry in my glass stock)filled with sand and some starfish and shells along with a tall pillar candle. Then we scattered some blue and yellow rose petals around the base. Table numbers were framed with a shell adorned frame and the favors were small message in bottles saying thank" you for sharing our special day." Each table had a camera for guest to snap some candids. White Chiavari chairs (Which the venue supplies!) YUMM!!! Votive candles were scattered all about. It was truly beautiful.

Their ceremony included a sand ceremony as well as the Irish bell ringing. The mom's lit candles on two memorial tables for the grandparents that had passed away instead of doing a unity candle.

The couple opted for a band AND a dj. Dj taking the stage for the first part of the reception and the band (Blue Turtle Seduction) who rocked by the way played the last hour of the night.

Over all I would say this wedding was really beautiful with a ton of little details which really make the wedding perfect.

The pics below are in VERY random order because blogger is being difficult tonight.

Oneonta provides you with TWO houses to use the whole weekend. One for the girls and one for the guys. PLUS you get to stay there the wedding night. All included in the price. LOVE THAT!

They also have a stage and a small chapel to use as well as mass tables and chairs. Fans were on the seats for the guests to try to cool off some.

Blue Turtle Seduction is rocking it.

Eric's mom coming into the tent .. Notice the fan.. it was hot!
The bride and groom had a violinist play for the seating of the parents, then Camilla here sung for the bridal party procession, the Chris (sitting behind Camilla) sung for the bride's enterance.

This is pre wedding during set up. 265 guest = a ton of chairs .

This is Renee my new intern and I setting up. (oh and Oneonta provies the tent also at no additional cost!)

Prior to favors and chairs.

This is the chapel.. it is so cute.

Crazy boiz...

A few photos of the night... staring Neysa Ruhl

I think I was up until 2:00 AM last night trying to find the perfect photo to fit my mood. I was looking for something that just said "I am so in love with you." You know THE look between two people who are madly in love. Then it dawned on me, Neysa Ruhl, a local photographer here in Cincinnati captures emotion like none other. She gets those shots that are so natural and that really capture the bond between two people who are deeply, madly in love. It is quite impressive. So I typed in her blog and there it was a photo treasure chest. It was hard to choose which ones I would post because they are all so amazing but here they are. You should definitely go check out her blog to really see all of the amazing work that she does. 

I could not even decide with this set. So I just snatched the three I loved most. This couple is so hot plus look at how they gaze at each other. 

Check out how he is looking at her... It says.. "I love you"

These two... well is all I can say is this love was one for the books. I had the pleasure of working with this bride and groom (Jocelyn and Joey) and the wedding pics were so amazing they made me cry all over. Neysa told the story with her photos so perfectly. This one is from their engagement shoot and I love the tenderness here.