Wednesday, October 21, 2009

2010 Wedding Season - Experience brings knowledge

All,

Wedding Arrangements, LLC is closely approaching its one year anniversary! I have to check the exact date of the first business license so that can be used as our official date but with all that said this is a wonderful milestone because there were so many people that said we could not make it and that it would be difficult. They were true about how difficult it is but it is so rewarding. I have made some new contacts and friends within this year.

With experience comes knowledge and the pricing structure for Wedding Arrangements, LLC will be revised and in effect January 1, 2010. If you or someone you know is getting married in 2010, they can reserve Wedding Arrangements, LLC in 2009 to capture the 2009 pricing structure. Believe me, I understand that you want to get what you pay for and if you talk to me and my assistant, we have given out more than we have brought in but again with experience comes knowledge.

Pass the word.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Keep Your Friends Closer

Today, I attended a 50th birthday brunch for the fabulous Joyce Dungee Proctor (Seminars by Joyce: www.seminarsbyjoyce.com) at the Christiana Hilton. Throughout the day, I listened to the reflections that were made and it made me tear the whole time. She has a host of friends from all walks of life. Today she received her flowers while she is alive. It was awesome.

The importance of friends was made apparent and it is important that on your wedding day that you specifically select the friends that will be able to openly communicate with you to inform you of your behavior or question the style for the betterment of the wedding day.

I have experienced having conversations with brides that have added additional bridesmaids and groomsmen to make their wedding look larger than what it actually was. Unlike the bridezilla mantra of the bridesmaid is supposed to be the bride's maid, the bride should gather the bridesmaids that mean the most to her and that are special in her life. The same goes for the groom.

Remember that your decision to get married will change some of your established relationships and your true friends will be there during and after the wedding. Keep those friends closer so that you have someone on speed dial when you have job or relationship issues.

Call one of your friends today and let them know how much you appreciate them!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Travel Agencies

All,

I have been working on organizing my family cruise. This has been a rewarding experience because in everything there is a lesson. The travel agent that I have been working with is Mrs. Barbara Patterson of All Around Travel, Inc. She has been doing a wonderful job and has recently moved into a storefront in conjunction with other travel agents.

We are in the midst of a recession and I have found that people have either been developing professional home-based businesses or have established joint agreements with others to obtain a storefront. Wise move in these tough economic times! But back to the topic at hand...

OK, the travel agent that I am working with introduced me to one of her colleagues that owns Creative Travel, Inc. He has a fabulous tool that he introduced me to which is a wedding registry for travel. It works similar to having a bridal registry at a store but this is with all of your travel expenses. Now you don't get something for nothing at the start of the process; you do have to purchase your trip and than you can place the trip on your registry to have some of your guest defer your trip costs or you can just have the trip extras on the registry such as horseback riding, snorkeling, para sailing, etc. All those great things you see in the brochures when you arrive at a destination but do not have the spending money to purchase at that time (At least that is my experience :0) They also will create a wedding website along with your wedding registry to help you publicize your registry to your family and friends. Check their site out and give them a call!

Alright, Alright... I network alot and have three travel agencies in my arsenal and have been looking for more so if you are one, please contact me so that we can promote one another!

My third travel agent associate is Crystal Gooding. She is well-known for her recurring articles in the WomensJournal newsletter that comes out in Delaware and she owns Simpson Travel. She is an excellent resource for all of your travel needs.

My advice for travel agents, just like anyone, you want to work with someone that can work with you. I do not mean this in the sense of financially but personality wise. If your personalities clash, you will not be able to conduct business like you should.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Wedding inspired stamp


Everyone the United States Postal Service currently has a wedding band stamp out for purchase and it has been a featured stamp for a couple of months now. For the brides that are getting married this year or having events this year, this would be a cute addition to your envelopes.
The reason I am focusing on this year's brides is that the Post office is planning on raising the rate of the stamps next year (AGAIN) and you will have to add penny stamps to this $0.44 stamp.


Thursday, May 21, 2009

Outdoor wedding advice

Tis the season for nice weather, the sun is shining, birds are singing, and bees are buzzing....hmmm; outdoor venues are beautiful for weddings but there are many things that you need to consider. The Perfect Wedding Guide has provided some tips on how to arrange for an outdoor wedding:

  • Choose a safe date. If you avoid hurricane and blizzard season, you might keep weather disturbances to a minimum. Maybe.
  • Complement your surroundings, don’t compete with them. The natural beauty of your chosen setting shouldn’t need a lot of embellishment.
  • Take a careful look at how your guests will reach your wedding site. Think about exits. Make sure that guests don’t stumble through darkness as they leave.
  • Assure that your guests will have access to restrooms.
  • Ask your floral designer, caterer and other vendors much time they’ll need to set up at your site.
  • Factor electrical needs into your plans.
  • Ensure your plans meet local ordinances – get appropriate permits and inspections.
  • Use microphones so your guests don’t have to struggle to hear the ceremony.
  • Protect the food. Ask your caterer to take special precautions to preserve the freshness of the food.
  • Proper lighting is key. If nature can’t or won’t supply what’s necessary, call on an expert.
    Have your wedding site sprayed for mosquitoes, fleas and gnats two days before the event.
  • During the event, use citronella candles. You might informally supply insect repellent if your site has unfriendly pests.

Following this outdoor wedding advice can help you avoid an outdoor wedding nightmare!

My personal advice is to think about the things that you do not like about the outdoors (at whatever time you are having your wedding) and ensure that you have resolved that concern so that the atmosphere has been properly prepared for your wedding.

Remember that Delaware has a number of state parks that are beautiful for outdoor weddings as well as the Courtyards of hotels and beaches.

Enjoy planning for your wedding and do not forget to have fun! Consider Wedding Arrangements, LLC to help make your dream wedding become a reality.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Renting is becoming big business!

All,

I have noticed that with the economic crisis that is going on, the weddings have not stopped occurring, everyone is becoming innovative to create the wedding of their dreams and renting their items gives people the best of both worlds. In previous blogs, I posted two of the best rental companies for weddings, Anderson Rental and Diamond State Rental and then it was a posting on renting a cake (of all things!:)) But now and I do not know why I did not have this earlier but I found a company the rents out jewelry. Check out their site and let me know what your thoughts are:

http://www.adornbrides.com/

Monday, March 16, 2009

Rental Cake

Hello All,

I have been reading about the cost cutting measure of having a "fake" cake and have even introduced the concept to some of my clients but the truth is, if your guest count is not over 125 people, it is not worth it. Typically, the cake is sold by the slice which is usually around $2.50. For those that have a large guest count and would like to impress them with your cake but not pay the full cost of purchasing the cake; Fun Cakes (Cake rental) is for you http://cakerental.com/index2009.html!

The owner has an array of cakes displayed in the photo gallery for pre-designed cakes. It is hard to believe that they are all STYROFOAM! They even have a little trap door for you to insert a slice of actual cake for the cake cutting ceremony. It is a lovely concept and I would definitely use it if my guest count was high enough.

Brides-to-be, please note: the guest count is the driver for the majority of your decisions for the wedding so make sure that you are inviting those that you truly care about and will be a support to your new union.

Don't let the recession keep you from planning, let Wedding Arrangements, LLC help you bring your dream wedding to reality. Contact us today!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Hello All,

As you can see I am not an everyday blogger and that is because I wanted to provide good nuggets of information as I find it.

I have located some good places for receptions but everyone is feeling the pinch with the economy in the state that it is in and the consumer is looking for a deal while the venue/vendor does not want to sell themselves short. I will provide my followers with some good locations at a later time.

My post today is around loving the one that you are with whether they are your boy/girlfriend or wife/husband. February is the month for love because of Valentine's Day and as I always say, I love, love! These tips are helpful in keeping the relationship fresh and lively.

8 Tips that I found from a little Delaware newspaper called Your Better Years for the mature communities (I read all things that look interesting and you never know what you will find):

1. Take time to touch. remember how good it feels to just hold hands or put an arm around a shoulder. Everyone wants to be touched by their significant other as a sign of affection and appreciation.

2. Be complimentary. It takes a little extra effort to simply offer a compliment such as "Your hair looks nice today" or "Thanks for helping me carry the groceries." Tell your partner all the things you love and appreciate.

3. Do something unexpected. Call for no reason to say, " I love you."

4. Rent a romantic movie and sit close when you watch it.

5. Dine rather that just having dinner. Dress up and cook something special and have dinner "out" in your own home.

6. Remember how you fell in love. Reread old love letters or look at your wedding album and/or video.

7. Dance for romance. For no reason, turn the music on and dance around the room. It's even better if you can dance in the backyard under the stars.

8. Schedule date night once a week. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it does have to be special.

I take advantage of #8 whenever I get a chance with my husband and it has worked wonders for our relationship because he and I would look at each other at the end of the year and say we did not go dancing or do anything special all year. We would be disappointed at each other for not making the initiative to plan a special night or two or three so that we have something to put in our memory box. But after our second child we made it a point to take advantage of every moment that we have with each other because it helps us appreciate each other more, learn more about each other, and just love on each other.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Wedding Arrangements is on Facebook!

Wedding Arrangements, LLC also have a presence on Facebook! This site is where I post links of local vendors that I have come in contact with.

We are currently checking out rental equipment to understand which vendors have a showroom for bride and grooms to-be to look and feel the items that they are looking to rent for their special day.

Also there are many small businesses that are having promotions that are not using alot of advertising and it is up to you as the consumer to seek them out. That is where Wedding Arrangements, LLC is looking to help. In parallel with helping couples with their special day, we are also keeping in contact with resources to collect any promotions that we can share with potentials.

If you have a facebook account, look me up so that we can be friends and than I can invite you to join the group.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Good advice for the engaged and married

I know that I am not the only one that receives e-mails from friends that insists that you should pass it along to recieve good fortune. Well, the e-mail I received today was truly something that I wanted to share with everyone. It is an illustration of the 100/100 plan (it is alittle long but it is worth it!) :

January 26, 2009 The Futility of the 50/50 PlanBy Dave BoehiDon't you hate it when you see a couple arguing in public? A couple of weeks ago I was sitting at my gate in an airport, waiting to board a plane. Nearby was a young couple with a baby, and observing them was like watching someone open a can of Coke after shaking it for 30 seconds. I knew what was about to happen, and I wanted to duck for cover. They were frazzled and frustrated. Each wanted to relax and let the other person take care of a cranky baby and a pile of carry-on items. The husband appeared to be one of those men who gets angry whenever things don't go as he wishes. As they walked down the ramp to the plane, the wife received a phone call as they walked down the ramp to the plane. She wanted her husband to hold the baby while she talked, and he exploded. "I've been taking care of her all day long!" he complained (loudly). "You're always on the phone." "You've hardly helped at all," she replied. "And you're never on the phone yourself?"It went on from there, all the way down the ramp. I wondered how they treated each other behind closed doors if they acted like this in public. Fortunately they calmed down on the plane, thanks to the intervention of a saintly flight attendant who showered them with attention and encouragement. She did everything she could to make the flight pleasant for them, and that seemed to relieve the pressure. It appeared that this couple had no clue about how to resolve conflict in their relationship. But I found myself thinking about an underlying cause of their conflict: They seemed to be operating under the common worldly pattern of marriage--the "50/50 Plan." She felt she was doing her part in raising their daughter, and her husband was not doing enough. He seemed to feel the same about her.As discussed in FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember® marriage conferences, the 50/50 Plan is based on performance. Typically, couples work out some sort of agreement about how they'll divide family responsibilities and household duties, declaring, "You do your part, and I'll do mine." Acceptance and affection is often tied to how well each spouse does his or her part. As Dennis Rainey writes, "Performance becomes the glue that holds the relationship together, but it isn't really glue at all. It's more like Velcro. It seems to stick, but it comes apart when a little pressure is applied."On the surface, the 50/50 Plan sounds reasonable--why shouldn't both spouses pledge to do their part? But in the end, it won't work, for a number of reasons:
You can never meet all of your spouse's expectations.
Inevitably you focus on your spouse's weaknesses and failures and lose sight of your own.
It's impossible to know when your spouse has met you halfway. The truth is that both spouses in a marriage are sinful, flawed human beings, and both want their own way. As Rainey continues:
What a marriage needs is the Super Glue of Philippians 2:3: "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself." It's what we refer to as the 100/100 Plan, which requires a 100 percent effort from each of you to serve your spouse.The Bible describes this plan well in Matthew 22:39: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There's no closer neighbor than the one you wake up to each morning! And since most of us love ourselves passionately, we are well on the way to implementing the 100/100 Plan if we take a similar approach to loving our spouses.Start by stating the 100/100 Plan like this: "I will do what I can to love you without demanding an equal amount in return." With the 100/100 Plan, both husband and wife are willing to step in and do all the work. At home, both are willing to get the chores done. At the airport, both are willing to care for a fussy baby. The 100/100 Plan allows for the inevitable trials and difficulties that any couple will encounter during the different seasons of life. It keeps a family going when one spouse is sick or injured, or working odd hours, and is therefore unable to contribute as much. It allows for the richness of a relationship in which each spouse complements the other because of differing strengths, personalities, and abilities. In short, it's the plan that provides the best picture of a biblical marriage.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Delaware Bridal Events for the Newly Engaged/Potential Bride

All,

I wanted to provide this consolidated listing of Delaware bridal events to assist in providing information to newly engaged brides/couples:

January

WJBR - Bridal Extravaganza
University of Delaware - Clayton Hall
Sunday, January 18, 2009
11:00 to 4:00 PM
Free Admission
http://www.wjbr.com/index.php?page=489
Contact: Matt Smith (302) 442-6243

Harry Savoy - Winter Bridal Fair
Harry's Savoy Ballroom
Sunday, January 25, 2009
12:00 to 3:00 PM
Admission: $5.00 per person
http://www.harrys-savoy.com/ballroom_weddings.asp
Contact: Gloria Talbot (302) 475-3000

February

Delaware Today's 19th Annual Bridal Show
Embassy Suites (Newark, DE)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
12:00 to 3:00 PM
Admission: $10.00 per person (at the door); $8.00 in advance
http://www.delawaretoday.com/Delaware-Today/Signature-Events/Bridal-Show/
Contact: (302) 504- 1364

March

The Ultimate Bridal Fair
Hotel DuPont; 11th & Market Street, Wilm. DE 19801
Sunday, March 8, 2009
12:00 to 4:00 PM
Admission: $12.00 per person (at the door)
Contact: (610) 917-9300

2009 Delmarva Bridal Event & Expo
Sheraton Hotel; 1570 N. DuPont Hwy (Dover, DE)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
1:00 to 4:00 PM
Admission: $10.00 per person (at the door)
www.bridaltradeshows.com (has a coupon to defer cost)

Modern Trousseau Trunk Show
Jennifer's Bridal & Tuxedo (Hockessin, DE)
Friday, March 20th and Saturday, March 21st
By appointment only
www.jennifersbridal.com
Contact: jennifersbridal@aol.com
Contact: (302) 235-1660

There are a number of resources within Delaware that can help you have a wedding that will fulfill the vision that you have always dreamed.