Mum's the Word

No no, not "mum's the word" as in "silence" - "mum's the word" as in I immediately thought of my mother's wedding dress when I saw Kate Middleton's this morning! Check out the similarities.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images, Glamour.)

Beautiful lace and a gorgeous, respectful neckline!

The new Duchess of Cambridge's dress was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. It's said she chose the brand Alexander McQueen for the "beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing." She hoped her dress would combine a traditional and modern look, which makes sense as the UK is a country that loves their history and she knew millions would be anticipating the statement she would be making in her dress.

Of course, we all recognize the statement Princess Diana made in the 25ft train that she wore so elegantly.


An intersting fact about Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress is that it had to be made of material obtained using ration coupons, since Britain was still recovering from WWII. Here she is on her wedding day in 1947 as well as her admiring her wedding gown, along side the Duke of Edinburgh's naval uniform, that had a 13ft embellished train.

(Press Association, AP)

(Yonhap, AP)

A few other photos that caught my eye!

(Warren Allott, Reuters)

Sweet moments with her dad.

(Dominic Lipinsky, AP)

The Royal couple wed at Westminster Abbey. I have read that a more traditional location for Royal weddings is the Chapel Royal at St. James Palace - either way, a location near London is ideal, so that the mass public can partake in the rare day! 600,000 people filled the streets the day of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding in 1981.

Now, the part that I actually got to watch live! Police officers were lined in front of the crowds of people as they lead them near Buckingham Palace to see Prince William and his bride to appear on the balcony for the first time as newlyweds.

(Darren Staples, Reuters)

The kiss they all chanted for. I just had to post this picture - look at the munchkin in the bottom left, Grace Van Cutsem!

With every wedding I have either planned or coordinated, I always shed a little tear at some point during the ceremony. As I was getting ready for work this morning, I did get a little teary eyed when I saw this kiss. Funny, as I wasn't expecting that at all! Guess that goes to show how much I love weddings and everything that they symbolize.



Love this similar photo nearly 30 years earlier of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

(Oil Scarff, Reuters)

(Alastair Grant, AP)

I can only image the details that went into the Royal wedding. I was excited to find a few images of the cake!

(Getty Images, Glamour)

(Getty Images, Glamour)

The cake was made by Fiona Cairns, who is known for her luxury cakes.

Whether you were someone like me who was excited about Prince William and Kate's wedding or weren't, it's a wedding, or day rather, that made history!

(Martin Meissner, AP)

Social Media's Influence on Weddings

So we all know how quickly social media changed our culture - through Facebook's amazing connectivity and Twitter's breaking news platform - the list can just go on and on. It's changed the way we interact, engage and share information with one another. But, how has it influenced the wedding industry?

First, there were the wedding websites. Today, they are on every save-the-date and in every bride's bookmarks tab. It's a great way to share the engagement story, give fun details about each person in the wedding party, list the date and ceremony time for the person who forgot to pack their invitation (and of course, info on the registry)!

However, things have grown from there. Brides are posting minor and major updates for all to see - "trial hair today," "found my dress," hashtag this, hashtag that, and of course the infamous countdown until the wedding day. Along with posting updates, brides are asking questions - "what's the best band in town?" or "what florist would you recommend?" This is very important for wedding vendors to recognize (and embrace) as word of mouth has grown exponentially.

One of the best things to do regarding social media is to listen. It's not all about pushing information out. It's about taking advantage of what you have right at your finger tips! It's about listening to and engaging with the vast amount of resources you have in front of you. Take the "what's the best band in town?" post, this can be a huge time saver for brides. It has just reduced the amount of time brides have to spend researching. It's taking the necessity to "Google it" out of the picture. In June of 2010, Facebook saw 5x more pageviews than Google did. Impressive.

And since we are on the research topic, how about the amount of blogs that have a presence on Facebook? My top two favorites to follow are Green Wedding Shoes and Style Me Pretty. Again, the need to research is just not as high. As I am perusing through my news feed, I am constantly getting trendy tips and ideas from such pages. Another great place to get ideas and inspiration are from the photos shared through social media outlets. For example, I was able to use pictures posted on Facebook from a friends outdoor wedding in Colorado to get some inspiration for my sister's ranch wedding in Texas!

Another common way that I am seeing Facebook being used as a time saving tool is to collect addresses. There are more than 500 million Facebook users and over 50% of them log into Facebook on any given day; therefore, you have a pretty good chance that that includes your friends and that they'll respond to your message, sending their address pronto!

Now I do have to have be honest and say there is one thing that I am not a fan of in regards to this movement. And that's collecting RSVPs online! Now, it saves money by eliminating the need to print response cards and purchase postage and is extremely convenient for all parties involved; however, I am just too traditional! My vote will always be to mail it in!

So now I'm ready to listen. Tell me how you have seen social media play an influence in the wedding industry!

Classic Then, Classic Now

Vintage themed weddings are a great new trend for Spring 2011. Whether the entire wedding is inspired by vintage elements or just a few pieces are brought in, it's a wedding theme that will keep guests talking! What I love about this theme is you don't have to take it literally or over the top to make it a show stopper. The smallest infusion here and a simple touch there are all that you need.

Centerpieces.





Mix-and-match dishes.



Cake toppers. Too cute!



There's not much more than intricate lace that screams vintage to me. A few ideas to incorporate lace for that vintage touch is to mimic the wedding dress' lace in unexpected places - on the wedding cake, the edging of the invitations and programs, or throughout the table settings.



One of my absolute favorites - actually what inspired this post - vintage brooch bouquets. Found at Annie Laurie's Antiques.



For the bride.




For the bridesmaids - vintage-inspired headbands. I will be wearing one for my sister's wedding this June!



And, for the one who dreams of being the bride.


Can't forget the transportation. The last impression is just as important as the first!

Permission or Forgiveness?

I enjoyed this wedding for many reasons. It challenged me in a way I hadn't been challenged before. You may know, I am now living in Rochester, MN. The mother of the bride contacted me from Kansas City; and therefore, we had a bit of a working, long-distance relationship. Surprisingly enough the mother and I had only two phone conversations and one meeting the day before the wedding. I have to say I was extremely proud of the bride's vision, the mother's organization, and my implementation with the amount of detail that went into this wedding.

Even better, this bride and I could easily be best friends - we love the color orange, Corvettes and are both major daddy's girls.

Let's get started! The ceremony was at Country Club Christian and was very traditional and classy. Everything was simple, black and white - with the exception of the bride's surprise orange bouquet!


Her mother's dress was remade to fit her perfectly. You have to love the uniqueness and significance of this dress.




For all you daddy's girls, I couldn't resist this picture!


And, without a doubt, I have to highlight the mother of the bride after all of her hard work. She and I worked very well together. This is how a lot of our conversations went: "Anne, I don't care what they tell you, I want 12 votives on each table." "Anne, it doesn't matter what they say, I want the Corvette parked right here!" My external answer: "Yes, ma'am!" My internal thought: "I LOVE this lady! Let's get things done!"


Gotta love the first see.



For their recessional, the bride and groom had a traditional, petal toss exit. It was great that the church allowed us to drop real petals in the aisle, which is pretty uncommon. Anticipating the newlyweds to cross the threshold, a few youngsters were waiting above in the balcony to shower them with petals! So, not only did they get petals tossed from side to side, they had them drop from above. This was one of my favorite things to coordinate. I love the little touches! (And though you don't get a great idea from this picture, just use your imaginations!)


Here is one of the 'do you ask permission or forgiveness' instances. If you can't park the Corvette on the street, why not just back it up right on the sidewalk? Our families would get along so well!


There was also a running joke/concern between the father and the youngest son of will the car stay idling - will it actually start for them to ride away in...


Success! Dad was so proud of his baby (both car and daughter)!


And now to the party! The reception was held at the Hilton President downtown where they turned it up a notch. Unlike the subtle, black and white ceremony, the reception screamed with personality in orange and green. There was a definite transition, while taste and class were never compromised. There was a cocktail hour in the mezzanine and once the wedding party arrived, the guests were escorted to the ballroom.



The flowers provided by Botanica were exquisite.



The mother of the bride gave her kids these figurines as Christmas gifts when they were young. Now they are being used as their cake toppers. Love it!



It's common today for the bride to choose something interesting and personal as her guest book. This could be a photo album, a coffee table book of their favorite city or a symbol of something important to the bride and groom. This couple chose to let their guests write notes to them and drop them in a large brandy snifter. It was a great focal point of the entry table.


And my baby of the wedding - the entry table. Give me something with great detail and you'll make my night! Another commonality between the bride, her mother and me was a love for orchids.




Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your big day. It was such a treat for me to travel to Kansas City, and your wedding night will always be one that I remember. I hope that the same is true for you and that it exceeded your expectations!

Photography - Wirken Photography. Check out Becca's blog here.
Cake - Take the Cake
Flowers - Botanica
Chair Ties - Be Seated
Transportation - Horizon Limousine
Band - KC All Stars

Look what I spotted...

I have a new favorite route to run in Rochester...3 miles to the Historic Mayowood Mansion and back. But today, it's a favorite for a new reason! I spotted a wedding. My first Minnesota wedding. I was so excited I had to go back for some photos.



After a little research, I found out this is the Mayowood Stone Barn. And wow, is it perfect for an outdoor wedding!


I love the character of the old stone.


I don't think you could ask for a better tree! Amazingly, it acts as a canopy over the whole ceremony, giving it so much energy and intimacy.


Love, love, love chandeliers! Nothing more needs to be said.

And now it get's sneaky! I had to climb through the fence to get these shots...but I couldn't resist. Don't worry. I had a few "get out of jail free" stories ready just in case anyone came out asking what I was up to!


Personally, I'm sensing a secret inspiration due to these flowers...Texas country! Maybe that's why this gorgeous set up caught my eye. These flowers are beautiful and really enhance this vision (Le Jardin European Style Floral). I wish I could meet the bride...I'm picturing an elegant, simple, fully-laced gown with a bit of an antique feel. How about you?!


And I'll leave you looking down the isle. I can't get over the personality of this tree...looks like it just wants to give the couple a hug doesn't it?!