Photo courtesy of ThisIsCT.net

One of the things I love about CT is the beautiful architecture. Much of my creativity comes from growing up in Hartford, being surrounded by history and the city’s artistic culture. I’d love to share some of that with you by showing you around my beloved birth city from a totally different perspective: Places where you can take beautiful pictures for your engagement or wedding. First stop:

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch

You can find the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park (I have a few more spots to share with you courtesy of the nation’s oldest publicly funded park) while enjoying a stroll in Downtown Hartford. I love it because it’s gorgeous…plus as a history buff, I can’t help but to admire it and the story behind its creation.

Imagine how absolutely jaw dropping your engagement or wedding pictures will be with the Arch as your backdrop!

Cheers!

Ok people…aspiring planners, new planners and established planners alike: mark your calendar for April 19-20, 2010, book your plane tickets and hotel rooms because you have GOT to be in attendance at Eventology 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. This not to be missed conference is brought to all us wedding professionals by K Sherrie+Company Planning Atelier and promises to be absolutely dynamic.

Still not sold on going? Well how about taking a look at the presenters and their topics:

• Building Your Team: From Interns to Associates by Lara Casey
• Priced to Sell! Cultivating Your Service Offerings by Saundra Hadley
• The Art of Wedding Design: Innovative Designs and Trends by Sasha Souza
• Geek is Chic: Tech Tools for Your Wedding Business by Terrica Skaggs
• Brand Success! Brand Building and Brand Strategy by Harmony Walton

See what I’m saying? Yep so you definitely have to be in attendance!

Is it cool to call this the event of the century if it happens every year? If it isn’t, then that’s ok because that’s what I’m calling it anyway. HA! Oooh and guess what? I won half off my registration fee, so you KNOW I’m going to be there with bells on! See you there!!

Cheers!

One of the many questions I receive from couples, families and friends planning weddings is “How can I have a Wedding Planner when I can’t afford one?”

My answer: “By compromise”.

Yep, that’s exactly the look I get from them too. So I’ll go ahead and explain myself.

Even if you have planned your big day and employed the help of family and friends, you want to be able to enjoy the fruit of your labor. That’s where Day Of Coordination comes into play. Just about every Wedding Planner offers this option (or its “sister” option: Month Of Coordination). This is also the best compromise. You do all the work (because you absolutely love it…ha!), then you get to sit back on your Wedding Day (or the month leading up to it) while your Planner makes sure every little detail goes off without a hitch. Believe me…this is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

Oh and another awesome yet innovative and out the box Planner option is to enjoy services via online means. Many Planners (myself included) are now offering Consultations and Planning packages through a combination of webcam, telephone and email. Don’t worry, you aren’t losing out when it comes to needing to put your hands on something tangible either, thanks to shipping companies like FEDEX & UPS. Not to mention the USPS Flat Rate box! YAY!

See, compromise really lets you have your wedding cake and eat it too!

Cheers!

I also think it’s a good idea to have a Destination Wedding when you’re on a somewhat limited budget because quite a few destinations offer FREE Wedding Ceremonies (however that’s not to take the place of your planner)! You can’t beat that!

There are many beautiful places you can go, depending on what you are looking for. If you want to stay stateside, Vermont, Las Vegas and Hawaii are tops. If you’re looking to head to the Caribbean–Jamaica is the number 1 destination there. If you want to experience the Caribbean but don’t have a passport, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are “no passport” friendly. Wherever you decide to go, you are sure to have a great time.

Cheers!

Ok so really…how cute are these wedding cake pops? When I first saw these a couple weeks ago I fell in love. Then to find out that they were used as a proposal for one of Bakerella’s readers, well that was just too cute!

Of course, me being me, well I just had to come up with a bunch of ideas to use these (and yes, I totally have to make these myself). Here are just a few of the ideas for using these cute little cakes on a stick:

• Favors
• Promotional Giveaways
• Reception dessert
• Thank You gifts
• Bridal Shower
• Proposals (of course)
• Consultation Snacks (hey we need to eat something during our planning meetings. )
• Parties

In short, the ideas are endless for these little cake treats! Not to mention, no messy fingers! You can match them with your cake flavor and design too. Yep go for it!!

Cheers!

Photo courtesy of Bakerella herself!

One of the things that plague brides who wear their hair “natural” is what to do with it for the wedding. Despite contrary belief, natural hair is very versatile and manageable but finding formal hairstyle (especially natural wedding hairstyles) remain a tedious task for some. Since I absolutely adore natural hair, I’ve decided to go on a quest to find hot styles for the bride. Hey, I’ll even throw in some for the guests too. How’s that? In fact, this post is the first installment. So go ahead and enjoy this Khamit Kinks Natural Brides photo shoot YAY!!

By the way, if you’re looking for a salon that specializes in natural hair care in the CT area, you have got to check out BASWA Hair Cultivating Studio (65 Pratt St, Hartford, CT). Feel free to ask for Shawn, she’s my hair stylist. I don’t mind sharing.

Cheers!

Photo Credit: Hairstyles by Khamit Kinks found on Chocolate Brides