Bride « One Beautiful Blog

An Exotic Touch

September 6th, 2011

The traditional wedding is always beautiful and elegant, but what about adding that exotic touch that makes ones wedding unique and extra fabulous? How about adding some moroccan into the mix? the smallest details can make the biggest difference. It’s all about taking the traditional, white wedding to the next level. The moroccan culture is all about bright, rich colors. Combine the traditional wedding with a splash of moroccan color and style. Such an easy task, timeless results. Add some life to your table display by adding several colorful moroccan tea cups around the table, containing small, lit candles. Add colorful, sequined moroccan pillows to chairs and couches. You can add matching colorful tablecloths to reception area tables, or even to the main dining room tables on top of the regular tablecloths.

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Q & A: Live Wedding Coverage!

August 9th, 2011

Q: Many very important people in my life cannot make it to my wedding for various reasons. I’d like them to see the wedding live, how can I make this possible?

A: This is a common issue, with a simple fix! Many videographers have the capabilities to Skype or provide a live stream of your wedding! This way the people you love near and far can see your wedding live and as it happens. Ask your videographer how you can set this up. Keep in mind you will want to be seen and heard, so go over your options of compatible microphones and lapels.

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How Pinteresting!

August 2nd, 2011

We are completely smitten and practically obsessed with a new site that was introduced to us by our great friend Suz of She Paperie! Pinterest is a fabulous image search engine that allows you to find details, dresses, designs, and virtually anything else you are looking for. Instead of Google crawling the web and populating loads of random images you will be ushered into a new era of quick, relevant and beautiful images. From there you can “pin” them to a vision board, share them with your friends and ask them to weigh in, picture-by-picture. This site allows you to create inspiration boards for any occasion, but we are particularly jazzed about it for our brides! Happy Pinning!

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Ooo La La!

August 1st, 2011

There are many occasions where shapewear is necessary..especially in a wedding gown! Maybe you didn’t lose the entire 20 pounds you had hoped to lose before your special day. No one wants to actually feel like they are wearing shape wear under their ultra fabulous white wedding gown, right? We found the answer. Sassy Bax is a shape wear line that makes shape wear sexy! Feel just as gorgeous underneath your gown.

Photo Credits: Sassy Bax

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I Want My MTV!

July 28th, 2011

Every bride comes to a point in the planning process where they have to consider what kind of videography coverage they would like for their special day. You sift through samples of 8mm, digital, cinematic, and video journalistic styles yet some still find themselves underwhelmed. You yearn for something different, something edgy, unique and creative… and then you find Rock and Roll Hearts. They fascinate you with their music video inspired editing techniques and turn your special day into a unique music video that documents a couple in love.

We especially love the video above because it takes place at one of our favorite Malibu wedding locations, Stone Manor.

So our question is, what song would you pick for your music video?

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How Big is Your Diamond? (and other inappropriate questions)

July 26th, 2011

I’ve been engaged for three weeks. Three really fun, fantastic exciting weeks! I am still just wanting to hold onto every moment. What I’m not trying to do right now is plan my wedding. Instead I am holding off on making those moves and just enjoying the new title.

That being said the rest of the world rushed right into planning my wedding. In some ways it is lovely and flattering and in other ways it’s just too much.

If you’re newly engaged, planning your wedding or married I bet you are with me on some of those questions that people bombard you with moments after you make your announcement.

“So when’s the wedding?”

“Oh you must have everything planned since you do this for a living!!”

“How many carats is the ring?”

“I cannot wait to see you walk down the aisle.”

“Will your niece be in your bridal party?”

EEK.

Okay so here’s the etiquette. You really should not be asking how big anyone’s ring is. I have come up with some quips that put that in perspective pronto. They are not P.C. and I won’t actually say them unless I’m pushed. Let’s just summarize by saying that if you ask how big my ring is I should be able to ask your bra size. I know- B.A.D.- right?!?

The one thing that makes a bad comment worse is to point out someone else’s poor etiquette. That’s a no-no. So the better response is either:

“I’m actually not sure but isn’t it beautiful!”

White lie if you do know but better than a knee jerk response that you might regret later.

-OR-

“We aren’t making plans just yet. I am just so happy to be engaged right now!”

If you are pressed for an invitation into your wedding party or your wedding here is an option to dissuade “wedding crashers”:

“We are just not there yet.”

If you may want them there by your side you can of course add “I’ll keep you posted!”

*My next post will be about taking care of your sparkly left hand ring. This is a new area information for me so I consulted the Engagement Ring Pros!*

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Let the FUNDS begin!

July 22nd, 2011

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THE proposal… the ultimate proposal!

July 7th, 2011

First it all starts with the proposal. Yes, I knew it was coming. Well, sure anyone who’s in a relationship for a period of time and is serious might say they knew it would happen. For years the ultimate pressure teaser for my beaus was “so you’re dating a wedding planner” followed by the wink/grin nudge.

My Mr. Right knew that the dreams were big and he really blew my mind with what I think was the ultimate proposal. What are the ingredients for an ultimate proposal?? Well for me it included planning, sneaking around my antenna and of course the surprise. Here’s how it went down…

While we had been considering a vacation at some point this year it seemed like a terminally doomed idea with our schedules. Come the end of May I certainly didn’t expect a couple of free weekends in June. With the small window Mr. Right said “let’s just make it happen!”He knew I was anxious to see my best friend and her baby boy in Sweden so the location was easy to dial in. Having been to Sweden many times I was instantly excited to share my favorite home-away-from-home with him. Little did I know he was already in cahoots with my best friend and my mom.

The BIG day’s adventure was a picnic outside of the castle in Linkoping, my best friends favorite spot (and location of her to-die-for wedding photos several years prior). The photos tell the rest of the story.

Tomorrow’s blog will be about those first questions that every engaged person gets thrown moments after the proposal… “so when is the BIG day?” This and other tricky newly-engaged etiquette tips!

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I’m Engaged!!!

July 6th, 2011

Since starting in the wedding business nearly twelve years ago I have known (okay, hoped and dreamed) that the day would come that I could announce to the world “I AM ENGAGED!” Today is the day that I am joining my clients in planning a wedding of my dreams with the man who stole my heart. I feel lucky, jubilant, mesmerized (I have a left hand ring!) and catch this… nervous. Yes, even though I am the girl who created her first wedding journal at fifteen and has planned weddings for hundreds of others I find myself nervous. So my plan is to share all that I am building and planning for myself and my Mr. Right with you. Step-by-step, big inhales and exhalations, let’s do this together.

Here’s the plan weekly- if not more often- updates on where I’m at “in the process.” First up (tomorrow) details on the proposal!

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Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover

June 16th, 2011

(Photos from left to right found on location website: Richard Nixon Library, Redondo Beach Historic Library, Huntington Beach Library and Garden)

Just like the TV show and movie Sex and The City, having your wedding at a public library has become quite the trend these days. From their historical settings to beautiful ambiance, many brides are choosing public libraries to not only hold their wedding ceremonies, but their wedding receptions. Orange and Los Angeles County are both such beautiful places, why not take advantage of what they have to offer.

The Richard Nixon Library is great for the perfect “Rose Garden Wedding” with the library’s 1,400 rose bushes as your back drop. Your guests can enjoy cocktail hour in the gardens or dance the night away in the White House East Room filled with chandeliers.

Another great venue is the Redondo Beach Historic Library. With ocean views and rich Spanish architecture, this ideal location will have your guests in awe of not only the bride, but the great location. There are two levels of event space and ocean views for days.

Huntington Beach Library and Gardens is surrounded by fountains and pools which will give your wedding a romantic feel. Featuring a beautiful theater and seven banquet rooms, this venue is sure to make any bride happy. Your guests will feel surrounded by the culture and history of this marvelous location.

Who would have thought that a library could be such a beautiful place for such a beautiful day.

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Q & A: Floral Budget Savings!

June 14th, 2011

Q. What can I do to save money on my floral budget?

A. There are many ways to save money on your floral budget. One of our favorite options is to reuse your bridesmaid bouquets! Often, bridesmaids bouquets are only used during the ceremony, at the reception their bouquets get set down on a chair or a table. Why not use them to decorate your sweetheart table or buffet? After your post-ceremony photos have bridesmaids hand-off their bouquets to your coordinator or floral team. During cocktail hour they can be arranged in any number of way. This is a classy, sophisticated, beautiful AND green way to repurpose your costly bouquets. *Bonus: it also preserves them for the ladies at the end of the night!

Photo Credits: Theknot.com

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Bridal Fashion, Styling and Unveiling Oh my!

June 8th, 2011

This event is sure to be a fabulous one! Will we see you there?

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How to Raise The “Bar”: Q & A

March 29th, 2011

Our bar is turning out to be extremely expensive. What are some ways we can cut back without looking “cheap”?

While a bar at your wedding can be costly let’s go over a few tips that can make it more manageable. The best way to get a bang for your buck when planning you’re wedding bar has been well noted as offering a “Signature” drink. The simple reason for this is that you will pool all of your bar resources into a few simple ingredients. A great example is a Mojito which is traditionally made of five ingredients: mint, rum, sugar, lime juice and sparkling water.

If limiting your bar selection is not your top choice another great option is to purchase the ingredients for a great bar from a local super store. Costco and Sam’s Club offer a great selection and at very fair prices. One of the highlights of purchasing from a wholesale store is the generous return policy. Worrying about the tab during the evening will be a non-issue because you have the ability to return any unopened bubbly and will have predetermined your maximum spent. The same is true with a great non-member wholesale store, BevMo! but with a nice plus they deliver! Again, limiting the selection will save you money and with less options (three hard top shelfs, one red and one white) you can keep your guests interest longer, and keep your overall budget down.

One other pointer that I think is important to keep in mind is the actual bar staff. You can give them guidelines on pouring, for example, a full to-the-brim glass is unnecessary. Also, offer non-alcoholic refreshments when guests arrive and before the ceremony. After the ceremony offer an open cocktail selection and with dinner offer wine. If you are a fan of champagne toast absolutely offer one. However many pre-poured glasses go un-sipped so instead let guests toast with what they are already drinking.

A last sage piece of advice is to only offer what you feel comfortable serving (some brides love tequila but others have seen their guests get rowdy after a round of shots).

Cheers!

Photo credits: Amy and Stuart Photography, Hazelnut Photography

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Style Me Pretty Feature!

March 2nd, 2011

We are delighted to be apart of a wonderful feature on the ultra fabulous Style Me Pretty blog!

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Coulda, woulda, shoulda… been a wedding dress! (Oscar Recap)

February 28th, 2011

The glory and absolutely staggering site of starlets on the red carpet truly takes the world by storm. Not only those getting dressed for a big night out (you’ll see knock-offs of Oscar dresses on the rack soon, promise!) but brides look to see what beautiful creations may inspire the seasons of weddings to-be. So which gowns this year coulda, woulda, shoulda and heck- may soon be inspiring our brides? Take a peak. While some are in color, in my minds eye I can see a soft white or clever cream could clearly make magic.

So here they are… the star and the bride she could be!

Sandra Bullock- classic bridal (in white)

Halle Berry- glittering city bride and top notch modern princess

Mila Kunis- summer bride, garden wedding

Gweyneth Paltrow-modern fabulous, golden dreamy (tall drink of water)

Hailee Steinfeld & Mandy Moore- a princess and queen look both with golden sparkle

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