What a great New Jersey wedding Ceremony!

Bond….James Bond (okay, it’s 007, and I can’t resist a corny joke….)

If you’re reading this, you’re probably getting married, know someone who is getting married, or you’re my mother. Hi mom!

Only one resolution really makes sense for you; (well, except for my mom….): resolve to have FUN planning your wedding this year. “Sub-resoluntions”; resolve to relax and enjoy every goofy thing that happens, everything that turns out in a way you couldn’t predict. Resolve to eat drink and be merry at the reception; resolve to laugh and cry at the ceremony. Resolve to NOT lose 15 lbs before THE DAY, NOT strive for perfection, NOT select 15 bridesmaids and make them wear fuscia against their will.

All the best for a fun and inspiring New Year, and thank you Juan and Stephanie for another great photo of your wedding!

Thanks to today’s New York Times, I found a great resource for inexpensive hotels all over the world, from New York to Scotland and back. WWW.Easyhotels.com lets you search by location, date, and room type, to find reasonable rooms with character and charm. Most are light on amenities, but you’re going to be out exploring, aren’t you? The hotels in Edinburgh looked adorable, and they are expanding their sites in London, Switzerland and Budapest.

April in Paris, anyone? Rates start at 60 bucks a night!

When you’re thinking about your reception, you might want to consider having one course served “family style”, whether the rest of the meal is buffet or plated. A beautiful salad or pasta course that can be passed around will give your guests a chance to break the ice and get to know each other. Sharing a meal together is part of the fun of the party!

Choosing a color scheme can be a simple way to unify the elements of your wedding; flowers, cake, bridesmaids’ dresses, and reception decor. That being said, don’t make yourself nuts trying to exactly match all these disparate elements; the process will be maddening and the results numbing. Pick a color range and enjoy a romp from end to end; yellow calla lily bouquets, light yellow dresses, goldenrod bowties and a cake topped with sunflowers. Your day will have a beautiful design without looking rigid.

The newest color combinations? Chocolate brown with robins’ egg blue; deep burgundy with silver; tangerine with chartreuse; ivory and white.

Yes, we took a couple of days off! Hope you all did too. Here’s to a wonderful 2007 full of happy planning, exciting events, and beautiful, individual weddings. Remember to treat yourself well, enjoy your planning, and delight in the anticipation of every unexpected moment that will come your way. It will be a year of great stories~!!

Celia

Instead of the predictable train of white limosines, why not try something different? One of my clients rented five different antique cars, all in white, to ferry her bridal party to the reception. Now, I would have liked to see a white motorcycle in that procession, but that DOES wreck havoc on the hair….

Another bride arrived in her father’s carefully restored antique Mercedes, and still another atop a firetruck (her and her new husband were both volunteers).

And then there was the groom who arrived by helicopter, touching down in a nearby parking lot. Was the bride amused? I don’t know……

A well written and personal thank you note is always so appreciated. Even more so with a photo. There are many software programs that can help you do this, and your guests will love seeing a different view of the day. While common etiquette says you have a year to do this, try to do it within three months of your wedding. And while we all love email, this is one instance where an email does not cut it.

Don’t forget to send notes to the professionals who made your wedding memorable; your florist who found white orchids in December; photographer who caught every moment; New Jersey wedding officiant who wrote the most amazing ceremony (;-); the banquet hall manager who made the day seamless, the musicians who got everyone dancing. Your kind words mean more than you know.

This is so obvious, I’m almost afraid to post it, but how great would it be to make your placecards on gingerpeople? Can’t you just see those babies doing a conga line, pointing your guests to their dinner tables? Your wedding cake baker can take care of this for you!

It is getting to be that time again; time for Bridal Showers! Why not make it different than the usual “sandwich, salad, open the presents, make a hat out of the ribbons” experience? Have mini massages and manicures, with milkshakes, cosmos and hors d’oeuvres! Make some cool jewelry! Have a wine tasting so the bride can pick what they’ll serve at the reception. There are so many options, and coincidentally, they are available from Epicure Catering; give me a shout and I’ll email you the spring ideas; they are truly awesome.

Kate, who owns this beautiful little shop in Hoboken,
can help you with invites, favors, and all the small things that make weddings so great. But she is also a calm and commanding presence as a wedding coordinator. She can make your day run so smoothly that you’ll really enjoy yourself. I met Kate at a wedding that included screaming heat, a recalcitrant flower dog and the unpredictable factors that a wedding outside, at a lovely historic site, can present. She negotiated all with charm and grace, and it was a wonderful wedding indeed. www.koruwedding.com