Warm weather, sun, light breeze, and go!

If "location, location, location" is the real estate agent's mantra, then "weather, weather, weather" is the wedding planner's mantra for outdoor weddings.  Actually, even if the ceremony & reception are indoors, couples will still be outside for pictures and possibly transportation.  No bride wishes for rain, wind, or cold weather obviously, but if you are a bride who has her heart set on an outdoor wedding, weather is going to be a huge factor.  Enter WeatherUnderground.com, which is a weather website that allows you to see the weather history for locations.  It goes back to 2008 but I have already used it for my 2011 wedding clients to check on 2010 weather to get an idea of the weather for their big day.

Another great tip is to talk to your venue about the weather for your date the year before.  The site coordinators who work weddings year round have a pretty good memory of weather month to month.  Certain months can be predictable but it is always good to have rain plan with your site and your planner.  As I've heard from all of my brides, once you get close to your wedding, it is pretty impossible not to check the 10 day forecast.  But even if the forecast is calling for less than ideal weather, hold off the panic.  Weather is constantly changing and you really should only take the forecast 2-3 days seriously.  If it is going to be hot, hot, hot make sure you can rent air conditioning machines for your outdoor tent, the ceremony site is air conditioned, and that there is water on hand for guests as well as the wedding party.

Lastly, if you do end up with some heat, rain or wind, all you can do is embrace it.  For the Diamond wedding on May 22, 2010, leading up to the wedding and the whole morning it was forecasted to start raining at 4pm, the start time of their outdoor ceremony.  Jen was such a cool bride and left it up to me to make the call since we had a rain plan set.  Luckily the sun came out and the rain held off for their beautiful ceremony.  Funny enough, the rain held out right until the couple had finished the cocktail hour photos and I was ready to introduce the wedding party to the reception.  Literally as the last person stepped inside the reception building it started to pour.  Hope this has eased your mind brides!  Enjoy!

  Diamond wedding- we got some amazing pictures before the rain set in!

Credit: Lindsay MacDonald Weddings

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Congrats Is Always The Right Thing To Say

It is officially 2011.  There are a lot of people getting married every year and while most are traditional, some are not.  As a planner I take on many roles including family mediator at times and I realize that there are many people who not ready for a break from tradition.  So I gathered some articles to shed some light on adjusting to the different weddings you may be invited to in the near future.  Because no matter what the situation is, congrats really is always the right thing to say.

1. Civil Hall Ceremonies.  There are many reasons couples choose this option but two main types come immediately mind; couples wanting a very small wedding and gay couples.  Both groups deserve the excitement and support that all "traditional" weddings get and should certainly not feel like their wedding is being compared.  For small wedding budgets, guests are limited so instead of thinking about what is missing, think about how lucky you have been considered important enough to be invited!  As for gay marriages, no matter what your personal feelings are on the issue, this wedding is not an "issue".  Being invited to a wedding is a sacred honor from the couple who loves you and wants you to celebrate with them on their biggest day.  If you have any concerns about what to say, check out this post on what NOT to say to gay couples getting married.  Or this post from a gay blogger discussing the pressures of planning a gay wedding. 

2. Pregnant Bride or Couple With Kids.  While I think most brides will agree that being pregnant on your big day is not ideal, if you are invited to a wedding with a pregnant bride, please do not make anyone feel guilty.  This may sound obvious, but any comments could be taken the wrong way and especially once the alcohol starts flowing, that could present a problem (remember that a pregnant bride is a sober bride and WILL remember every detail of her big day).  The same goes for a couple that already has a child.   Having a guest state that "its about time" will only take away from the special day.  Things happen and now the lovely couple is now taking the next big step and has invited you to their wedded union.  All is well that ends well!

3. Young Love.  While the idea of young love is nice, a lot of people are skeptical of couples who are still in their teens or very early twenties heading into marriage (anyone remember the MTV show "Engaged & Underage"?).  I personally know two couples who were high school sweethearts, now married and have been together for 14 years and 15 years respectively.  But there are some people who do not know how to react or how to be excited for young couples.  Check out this post from a 19 year old bride who is continually being told that she is too young to get married.  Seeing the bride's perspective may put a different spin on things for you. 

4. Second Marriages.  Typically this is not too much of an issue because people going into second marriages take things a little slower.  But with the divorce rate as high as it is, there are more much second marriages just due to sheer odds.  If you are invited to a 'second marriage' wedding, please keep the "I guess you have some practice" comments out the door.  The couple has willfully entered into this commitment and that is the only reassurance you should need.  Finding love once is hard enough and if a loved one is lucky enough to find it twice, even more reason to celebrate! 

5. Elopements.  These are less common but still an option for some couples.  Whatever their reasons, they do not need to justify them to you.  Unless you are their parents and even then, the decision is still 100% the couple's decision.  If you feel left out of the celebration, invite the newlyweds over for dinner at your place and relish in the one on one time you would never get an a traditional reception!

6. Short Dating Relationship.  Hello Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom!  They were together for one month before they got married.  Yes, married, not engaged.  And they just celebrated their one year anniversary.  When you know, you just know and for some couples that realization doesn't take years.  Even if you can't help but be skeptical, treat it like a plate of food.  Fill up on excitement, love, and support and keep the skepticism to a "no thank you portion" off to the side.  If you can get your fill with all the good stuff, all the better. 

Intimate (and love-filled!) civil ceremony. Source

Love is love is love. Source

Thank You, 2010

This is the time of year that most people to reflect on the past year of their life.  After the amazing ride that 2010 gave Felicity C Weddings, I couldn't help but reflect on the first full year of my event & wedding planning company. Here are my reflections.

High's: I love, love, love that I was able to be a part of 8 weddings this year!  Eight couples that vowed to love, honor and cherish each other forever and they allowed me to plan one of the biggest days of their life!  I love that I found clients through wedding blogs, Facebook, friends, and advertising.  I love that every wedding I planned (day of coordination, partial planning or full planning) was different and I learned so much each time.  I met and worked with a lot of vendors and gained a deep appreciation for the ones that stood out as amazing vendors.  Among the planning that stands out, I planned a wedding for a couple living in Guam (a 14 hour time difference!) and the bride only visited the states one time in the 16 month planning period.  Also, I planned a September wedding in 8 weeks.  Over the year, I was able to get over my intimidation of blogging and began to post regularly (average 12 times/month) and even more amazing, when I posted the blogs to the Felicity C Weddings Facebook page, people actually read my posts!!  Speaking of the FCW page, as of today it is at 278 'fans' and growing which blows.my.mind. 

Low's: Unfortunately, with all the great high's of the year, there were a few lows.  Starting my own business from scratch has been a great learning process to say the least.  Trying to balance my personal time with my company has been a pendulum swinging in both directions but I think I do have a better hold on balance as 2010 came to a close.  I think the biggest low of 2010 was working with vendors who did not have my clients' best interests in mind.  I really learned this year that what vendors are really offering clients (myself included) is 50% actual service and 50% customer service.  Overall, every little obstacle that I came across taught me something new and I feel very ready to bring on a new year of weddings & events.

My goals for 2011 is to keep researching, blogging, expanding, and of course to continue planning- in short to keep learning.  Once again, thank you so much to all the family, friends, clients, vendors, and 'fans' that support Felicity C Weddings.  You have truly made my dreams come true.  I haven't gotten all the professional photos back yet but here are some of my fantastic 2010 clients.  I am posting ceremony pictures only because that is why I do what I do- love.  Enjoy!      

 

Diamond Wedding 5.22.10

Photo credit: Lindsay MacDonald Weddings

 

Fehnel Wedding 6.26.10

Photo credit: Clair Pruett Photography

Wedding or Party: Dining

If you did not catch the first edition, this is a game that I created after seeing so much amazing decor that is incredibly versatile.  The kind of decor that could be for a bridal shower, baby shower, fabulous birthday, dinner party, corporate event, or even a wedding.  Test yourself and let me know how you did on Felicity C Weddings Facebook page!  Good luck & enjoy!

Wedding or party?  Here is the answer

 

Wedding or party?  Here is the answer

Wedding or party? Here is the answer

After The Wedding: (Renewal) Party Like A Celebrity

As you have probably surmised by now, I'm always "pro-party".  A few posts ago I talked about celebrating anniversaries and how every year should be special.  Then in the news this September, Lakers player Lamar Odom & wife Khloe Kardashian celebrated their one year anniversary by renewing their vows.  Lamar actually surprised Khloe with the renewal which is super cute.  Any guy who hatches secret plans for his loved one is a winner.  Lamar is in good company, enter Josh Duhamel's one year surprise renewal, Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon's 2nd anniversary vow renewal, Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta Jones 10th year vow renewal, and Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott's 4 year renewal.  All of this reminded me of another celebrity pair who loves a good vow renewal; Heidi Klum and her husband Seal.  They have made it a point to celebrate each anniversary by renewing their vows & having a huge party for all their friends.  Last year they decided to get classy and have a "white trash wedding" theme (see hilarity below).

Renewal parties are not just for celebrities though, obviously.  Celebrities may renew every year, but the rest of us probably will save renewals for big milestones; 5 years, 10 years, 25, years, etc.  What a great example to friends and family to have a big party to celebrate the vows of love, loyalty, and commitment.  The best part about a renewal party is that you get all the fun & celebration of a wedding without the high cost and stress of the first time around.  There is a definite freedom is not having any rules to follow and to be able to focus on whatever design or theme you want.  The couple can choose to have a big party or just a small gathering of family & friends.  Some hotels even have renewal packages so be on the lookout for local events.  So, if you or anyone you know (parents, friends, etc) loves this idea as much as I do, make sure to contact Felicity C Weddings to plan this fabulous soiree!     

 

Mr. & Mrs. Odom celebrating 1 wedded year
by renewing their vows. Source

Heidi Klum & Seal renewing vows
for their 5th wedding anniversary. Source

Hitched!!! Ford Wedding 9.25.10

Nothing like a beautiful September wedding to get me through these winter months!  Plus, Christmas day was exactly 3 months of wedded bliss for this couple.  I am so excited to feature the Ford wedding and all the fantastic details!  I have known the bride, Kate since high school when we met through our church's youth group.  Unfortunately, we lost track of each other after college and about a year ago we reunited through a wedding blog!  She saw Felicity C Weddings featured on Charm City Bride Blog and the rest is history.

Kate was a great bride to work with, not only because she's a friend but because she knew exactly what she wanted and had great ideas from the start.  A literary theme with specific personal details was the plan for Kate & Mike and I believe that is exactly what we accomplished.  The ceremony & reception took place at the Howard County Conservancy in Woodstock, MD.  It is a gorgeous property and we could not have asked for a better day.  Reverend Laura Cannon officiated the ceremony and Kate & Mike could not have chosen a better officiant.  She took the time to find out what they were looking for and created that personal, close vibe for the day.

Next up was the cocktail hour in the honors garden.  Atlantic Caterers did a fantastic (and delicious!) job from start to finish and they even went above and beyond to create a s'mores bar specifically for this wedding!  It was a HUGE hit!  Procopio Photography's wife and husband duo of Cicely & Jason were a perfect fit for this wedding and effortlessly captured every moment from the ceremony kazoos to the book that Mike & his brother put together for the guest book to the excitement on the dance floor.  Their passion for photography is obvious in working with them and the pictures speak for themselves (see below!).  Speaking of amazing details, Kate & Mike honored a great Howard County tradition by having The Snowball Stand in Woodstock serve snowballs at their cocktail hour.  Guests were treated to blue raspberry, watermelon & wedding cake (of course!) with optional marshmallow topping (a local favorite). 

Moving onto the reception inside the Howard County Conservancy, DJ Bill Bowen kept the party going all evening.  Bill actually did the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception music (three separate places) and was great to work with.  I was really impressed with the Fords' florist, Local Color Flowers.  I had heard rave reviews about the LoCoFlo crew and after working with Ellen, I can tell you that every compliment was deserved.  Even more amazing than their work, the company is based on "creating personalized arrangements and bouquets from fresh, seasonal, and sustainable flowers cultivated by local specialty growers" so it is a purchase couples can truly feel good about.

There are so many details that I cannot even begin to list.  Thanks to the Fords and their families for making this wedding such a joy to be a part of.  Here are the photos of this beautiful day.  Enjoy!

Cutting The Cake, Literally

I'm very clear that I am a practical person and that often bleeds into everything I do. I really love finding how to get the most bank for my buck and especially in this economy, I want to provide many cost effective options for my clients as well. So, this revelation kind of made me jump for joy- the idea of renting huge elaborate FAUX wedding cakes for display then having your caterer cut your cost effective cake in the kitchen for serving.

Source

I know! All the elaborate glamour and intricate detailed design that each bride desires without the $7 (or more!) per slice cost!  For the couples who do want some real cake to cut into, you can always have the bottom layer be real cake and the rest be faux cake.  This article goes more into depth of the faux cake options, pro's, and con's.  My advice would be to look at your budget and determine as a couple what aspects of the wedding are most important to both of you.  If displaying a huge, real cake is not one of the priorities, faux cakes are a great option both financially and style-wise.  I've found a few pictures of faux cakes to display the awesomeness.  Enjoy!

 

The beginnings of a DIY faux cake. Source