Location, Location, Location....

Congratulations! You're engaged!
The date has been set! Now what?
First and foremost,it is time for you to sit down with your significant other and discuss the wedding budget and who will be paying, or helping out with payments.
The basic guideline of the wedding budget is this:

Reception 50%
Flowers 10%
Wedding Attire 10%
Music 10%
Photography 10%
Stationary 4%
Additional Expenses 6%

So since 50% of the budget is the reception, it is most advisable to start looking for a venue. You will find venues that have different pricing for the different times of year, day and afternoon and evening. It can get overwhelming,especially if you do not have a date set yet. There are also venues that have wonderful package deals that include the dj, florist, etc. Before signing on the dotted line, read the fine print, because if you are getting married on a Saturday night, they want a minimum of 125 as opposed to 100. It will tack on to your cost and you will be overbudget and have to trim down or take away from something else.
You must also try and keep in mind your vision for the wedding day. Does it have that romantic feel that you are looking for? The contemporary feel you are looking for? Is it intimate?
Now that you have picked the venue, build from there.
Good luck and good planning!

Remember, if you find yourself feeling less than blissful and need a little help..
you know where to find the Blissful Bride!!!
www.theblissfulbride.weebly.com

2010 Wedding Color Trends

I decided to do two blogs tonight to make up for my days off.

The table below includes popular wedding color choices for the upcoming seasons:
Fall/Winter:
deep red
teal
violet
mocha
sage
 
Spring/Summer:
turquoise
platinum
coral
pale yellow
champagne

Choosing Your Wedding Color Scheme

The colors you choose for your wedding day set the style and tone for your entire event. You can use color in your bridesmaids' dresses, decorations, cake, favors, flowers, accessories, table linens and even the invitations! Choose colors you love, but also consider the following:
1.Where is the wedding and reception? Choose colors that complement the setting. Consider the carpeting, drapery and decor, etc.

2.What mood do you want to create? Vibrant colors add drama, while soft colors evoke a more romantic atmosphere.

3.What time of year will you marry? The season may influence your color scheme. Spring and summer colors tend to be lighter, while fall and winter colors are generally darker.

Although much has been written on how colors effect our moods and emotions, colors mean different things in different cultures, so avoid focusing too much on them. The following two tools can help you choose a coordinated color scheme.

1.Color Wheel - A color wheel helps you choose coordinating colors. It is made out of three primary colors: red, blue and yellow, plus a blend of in-between colors. Below are three color-choosing strategies that will ensure you pick a well coordinated color scheme. Read more about color theory to learn more.
"Complementary" colors means choosing colors that are opposite each other on the wheel, such as red and green.
"Analogous" means the colors lie next to each other on the wheel, such as red, red-orange, and orange.
"Monochromatic" means variations of the same tone, such as bright red, dark red, etc.

2.Color Palette Generator Tool - This handy (and fun!) tool allows you to upload your favorite photo and generate an instant color palette. You can then print and select your favorite colors from the chart. Here are some color charts we created using this tool.

Tips: Try to limit your main colors to two or three so as not to look too jumbled and stay consistent with your colors throughout the wedding site. Use a few subdued colors for an elegant look.

Proposal Stories.....Where did he propose to you?

Ok, The Blissful Bride is asking you, where and how did he propose to you? The best proposals get a blissful treat and more importantly, if you are a bride to be and have the best story, you will not only score a blissful treat but a discount on services....Share!!!

You can also follow The Blissful Bride and become a fan at facebook and look for the Blissful Bride!!!

The Bridesmaids Dress

So you’ve got the dress, now it’s time to choose your bridesmaids dresses.  You could play it safe and just have a maid of honor.  This would of course offend all of your other friends, relative, and your mother who promised your 3rd cousin, twice removed; she would be in the wedding.  This is also only the beginning of your worries.  Now you will have to select the  best bridesmaid dress that will accommodate the party’s various shapes, heights, and sizes.  This may seem like a daunting task, but it’s really quite simple.  Just follow these few tips and your wedding party will be almost as gorgeous as the bride!
Go with an empire waist.  Dresses with a high waist will flatter every size.  It doesn’t matter if one of your girls is a size 22 and the other is a size 6; this shape will skim over larger hips and hide a full belly.  Just pay attention to the color, neckline, and the sleeves on the dress.  Empire waists can look outdated and matronly worn with a cap sleeve or a high neck line.  Instead opt from a spaghetti strap and a plunging neck.   This will draw attention to the wearer’s face, and not an unsightly paunch. 

Don’t worry about the cut and design, focus on the color.  This is a trick used by brides across the country.  Choose a popular color, such as burgundy, navy, or sage, and ask each bridesmaid to purchase a dress in that color, but allow them to choose a style that flatters their shape.  The only other parameter that should be set is the length.  Nothing looks more haphazardly thrown together than half of your maids in minis and the other half in skirts that skim the floor.  If the dress styles seem disjointed on the big day, ask your hair and makeup stylists to give each bridesmaid an identical look.  This will give you a little boost of cohesion amongst the chaos.
When in doubt choose black.  Black is the only color that looks great on any woman’s body.  Get the notion out of your head that black equals doom, gloom, or is just for funerals.  Black should definitely be considered if you are having an evening or winter wedding.  Nothing looks more beautiful that the contrast of the white snow, your white wedding dress, and your bridal party in this distinctive statement color.

There are a few general tips to keep in mind.  Ask all your bridesmaids what they would like to wear and make sure that everyone agrees on the final choice.  Keep in mind the varying financial situations of your maids as well.  Always purchase these dresses in a store and ask each girl to try the looks on.  Don’t let them fall into the trap of buying a dresses a few sizes smaller based on empty dreams of sudden weight loss.  This plan never works out and always spells disaster.

*My girls did not buy theirs in the stores, it was handled by my maid of honor who did research and ordered them all for about $40 smackeroos cheaper. Then when the dresses came in, they went to a tailor and spent less on alterations.

The Wedding Cake....or Cupcakes???

How many layers or tiers would you like?
Buttercream frosting or fondant?
What flavor do you want? Vanilla, Carrot, Chocolate Mousse, Cannoli?
Or do you want a small 8" round to cut and have a cupcake tower?

The wedding cake has become the center of attention at weddings. Gone is the two tier traditional with white frosting. The cake is used to reflect the bride and grooms unique style.

The Six Most Popular Styles for 2010 are:

Black and White Patterns
Many brides love the classic and clean look of white icing with black details.  This popular choice for cakes can be decorated to mimic the details of the bride’s gown.  The elegant details can also be enhanced with silver or pearl dots or colored sugar flowers.

Chocolate Frosting
Brides who love chocolate are getting their cakes iced with dark chocolate frosting.  So many cakes this year will be a chocolate lover’s dream from the chocolate cake with fruit filling to the whipped chocolate frosting! 

Shaped Cake
Round is out and shapes are in!  Brides are now choosing topsy turvey designs, square and heart shapes to make their cakes stand out from the rest.   When these shapes are stacked they are a unique base that displays embellishments and colors beautifully. 

Bold Colors
No more white frosting!  Couples today are icing their cakes with bold colors that match their wedding colors and show their creativity.  So don’t be surprised when you walk into the reception and see an orange cake with brown flowers!  

Cupcake Displays
To save money and lessen the chances of having a lot of wasted cake, many couples are choosing to use cupcake displays instead; some of them have a small cake as the top tier to cut for the pictures.  Using cupcakes allows room for creativity because they can be stacked into shapes and letters on the table and serve as a wonderful decoration at the reception, especially when small spotlights shine on the tiers of the stand.  Many couples who use the cupcake tier are also choosing square shaped instead of round cupcakes.

Monograms
You will probably be able to count on your hands how many wedding cakes you will see with the traditional bride and groom on top.  Many couples are topping their cakes with their monogram.  The DIY bride is even decorating the letters themselves to add a personal touch to their stylish display.  Some monograms will be part of the actual cake design and will be centered on the middle tier.  

On a final note, when taking home the top tier of your cake. In tradition, you are not to eat the cake till your one year anniversary. My husband and I did this. However, we had an outage in the apartment and the cake ended up being ruined. When we moved to our new place and celebrated, the cake was not the same and we didn't enjoy it. There are bakeries that will make you the top tier especially for your one year, so if you have that top tier at home your wedding night, eat it and have them make a fresh one for your anniversary.

Top Six Wedding Dress Styles

The Pictures are in the order as listed below..


1.Tealength

Tea-length wedding dresses are fabulous for a more casual, less traditional wedding, especially if you have a nice pair of pins and some knock-out shoes.

2.Mermaid Style

Apparently mermaid style wedding gowns are also a fifties influence, and thinking about it, one of my favourite dresses of all time is the dress Audrey Hepburn wore to the races in My Fair Lady – an extremely tight-fitting mermaid style gown.

3.Grecian Style

Are you in touch with your inner goddess? Grecian style wedding dresses are hot at the moment – high-waisted with floaty materials, they would make me look like a mountain, but if you’re slim and smaller breasted, it’s a style that could look stunning.

4.Ballgown

For those who loved the wildly ridiculous yet fabulous gowns in Gone with the Wind (*blush*), and for many of us who want to disguise our thighs, ballgown style wedding gowns are back. Fabulous! Ballgown wedding dresses have many rather wonderful upsides, including squishing you into the shape you desire, giving you fabulous cleavage, and being impossible to remove on your own .

5.Fifties Style Wedding Gown

This is the one I’m really very pleased about. There’s something about the whole belted waist idea that makes me happy. And the Stephanie Allin gown on the left is probably my current favourite gown of any I’ve seen (…and I see a LOT)


6.Sexy Slinky Silhouettes

If you’ve got a fab figure (or fantastic suction underwear!), now is the time to do a victory dance – sexy, figure-hugging wedding dress silhouettes will be hot for the next couple of seasons.

Happy Shopping!!!!!

Lucky Brides=Early 2010 Special

As an up and coming wedding planner looking to build her portfolio, I have a special for brides who are getting married in the Spring 2010 and are looking for a day of coordinator. Instead of charging $500.00 per the site, I will charging $400.00 and a choice of an a la carte option FREE. If you are interested, please go to: http://www.theblissfulbride.weebly.com/, fill out the contact form and in the comments, type in Lucky Bride.

The Blissful Bride

I have been happily married for a little over two years now, but its barely a memory maybe even a blur. I remember getting to Douglaston Manor about 15 minutes late for the ceremony (my husband will never let me forget that), rushed through some pictures (I forgot to put on my mantilla), somehow signed my marriage license mid picture, rushed upstairs, put on the veil and headed downstairs and down the aisle. It was a dream sequence to me. Except when I pinched myself, I didn't wake up. I kissed my new husband.
What I do remember is all the planning and energy that went into it. We didn't start officially planning till a little under 12 months, we had spent the summer looking at places and although from the first time we saw DM, we knew that was where we wanted to be, we had to go back one more time (ok, I admit it, maybe more than that). We were working full time jobs on two entirely different schedules. And when that is added to less than 12 months from a wedding, it doesn't leave you with much time. Friday date nights turned into visits to photographers, weekends to look for other things.
2 days before my wedding, I was not only still at work, I was exhausted, breaking out and still not beautified.
The day before, the drop off of the favors,centerpieces, candles had to be made to DM and I still had a nail appointment.
Next to having a baby, this is the most important day of your life. It shouldn't be stressful to the point that you don't remember the entire wedding.
I am making it my mission to help as many busy brides as possible by sharing my wisdom and creativity.
A bride shouldn't be stressed, they should be nothing less than blissful.