Questions you need to ask before you say "I Do"

October 8, 2015

You're madly in love and the proposal was more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. The wedding plans are well on their way without much of a hitch, and you are just ready for the wedding day to be here!

But have you taken a moment to think about the real purpose of the wedding? You are committing yourself, and your life to this person. You are vowing to stay by their side through thick and thin and with that, comes a whole lot of decisions. You may know each other very well - their lives, favorites, dreams and aspirations - but have you discussed the aspects of every day life that you will soon encounter together?

In my eyes, you just cannot prepare enough for marriage because it is hard work and there will always be ups and downs. But here are some questions to sit down and discuss, to make absolutely sure you are both on the same page before you make this commitment:

How many kids do you want?

If he wants 10 kids and you are not the "baby type," you are probably going to run into some large issues, fights, and arguments within the first couple years of marriage. Are you on the same page?

Do you believe in divorce?

Believe it or not, there are many people out there who believe that divorce is just a way of life - it is inevitable for pretty much everyone, including themselves. Some people believe that marriage may be great for a while but at some point, you'll both want to move on. And if you don't believe in divorce and believe in working hard toward your marriage, on the contrary, then you probably aren't on the same page here!

Do you like my family?

While there are always going to be disagreements between yourself and the in laws, disliking every single one of your fiance's family members could cause some issues. He loves his family and you are going to beg to have all holidays away from them...this may be an ongoing problem in your marriage.

What are your long term goals?

If your fiance just wants to travel the world for rest of his life and you are ready to settle down, then this may not work out too well. Remember, a happy marriage means that BOTH partners are happy and while compromise is one thing you'll have to learn, long term goals that are on opposite sides of the spectrum are bound to cause hardship.

Are you a saver or a spender?

Yes, there are plenty of marriages that have differing opinions on this matter, so this is where compromise comes into place. Come up with a financial PLAN together before you tie the know. Sit down, create a monthly budget, and make sure you have a great compromise between spending and saving. Finances are one of the leading causes of divorce, so this one is huge!

How often will we have sex?

I know this one may seem silly at the time, but when you are years into your marriage (and even before) one of you may want sex 3 times a day, and the other may be okay with intimacy once a month. And this causes a great amount of grief in every marriage if you aren't on the same page on what is acceptable when it comes to intimacy. So be open and talk about it!

There are so many other questions that should be discussed before marriage and it all depends on the couple. What other questions have you and your fiance discussed that you think are important for other engaged couples to think about?

7 Reasons Why You Need to Have A Wedding Rehearsal

October 7, 2015

I offer wedding rehearsals for every single wedding I coordinate for, whether I planned the entire wedding or not. And while most couples take me up on that offer, there are some who decide against it.

"All of our bridal party has been in at least 5 weddings" is the common reason why people deny a rehearsal, but there are other instances where people are coming from out of town or there just isn't a day that would work for the rehearsal.

And that's okay!

I am not going to tell you that a rehearsal is 100% necessary...because it absolutely isn't. I have done plenty of weddings where I quickly told everyone where they would be standing at the ceremony site right before they headed down the aisle, and everything went without a hitch. But in the cases where you have the ability to hold a rehearsal, I would always recommend it.

And here is why:

The Line Up

Whether you have been in a wedding before or not, every wedding is different. You may have stood in a "V" shape at one wedding and on stairs at another. Or for a church wedding, you may have been sitting for the majority of the wedding in a specific seat assigned to you and the rest of the wedding party.

So for that reason, it is always a great idea to give your wedding party a practice run so they know where they will be standing or sitting throughout the ceremony, and where they need to walk so no one is confused.

The bride and groom have got it easy :)

The Pairings

Not every wedding party has an equal number of bridesmaids as they do groomsmen. And in these cases, we typically match up two bridesmaids with one groomsman, for example. While it's nice and simple when everyone just pairs up with each other, there are instances where it is still simple, but needs to be brought to everyone's attention so they know WHO they are walking with for both the processional and recessional.

Yes, sometimes it is different! Is a groomsman walking your mom down the aisle and then looping back around into the "groomsmen processional"? There are so many ways to run a ceremony and every ceremony it slightly different in that way!

The Maid of Honor Duties

I give the maid of honor 3 duties:

1. Take the bouquet from the bride once she gets down the aisle.
2. Make the bride's dress look pretty for the duration of the ceremony.
3. Give the bride back her bouquet (because she will forget) before she starts her recessional!

Yes, I could tell the Maid of Honor these "duties" the day of the wedding, but I believe it's best to tell her when there are less jitters in her system.

Pre-Wedding Jitters

Speaking of jitters...

On the day of the rehearsal, everyone is excited. But it is a relaxed excitement. And on the day of the wedding, everyone has more of a jittery excitement. The wedding party is smiling and giggly and talkative and doesn't really want to listen to what I have to say...and I don't blame them! They want to hurry up and get their best friend married!

So it is much easier to explain to everyone what to do and when to do it, when there are less jitters in their system.

The Little Ones

What about your flower girl and ring bearer? It's always best to practice with them beforehand (and then again on the wedding day) so they know where they are walking and where they can find their parents to sit for the rest of the ceremony, once (or if) they make it down the aisle!

The Photos

And on top of that? If something is practiced just once or twice the day or week before, everyone is more likely to look comfortable and natural up there - just as you want them :)

Pre-Wedding Reminders

At the end of every rehearsal, I group everyone together (parents included) and go over some important details:

1. I give out my cell phone number. And the #1 rule is: DO NOT CALL THE BRIDE OR GROOM ON THE WEDDING DAY. No texting, emailing, and no ifs ands or buts. If you forget something, your dog eats your tux, or you are stranded on the side of the freeway, call ME. If you don't have a coordinator, select your Maid of Honor or a bridesmaid for this duty. I promise, you'll thank me!

2. What time do you need to be there on the wedding day? For some reason, I ask this question every time and there is always silence among everyone...including the bride and groom. And so, I remind everyone - the groomsmen need to be here at this time, the bridesmaids need to be here at this time, and the parents need to be here at this time.

A rehearsal really only takes about 10 minutes total (I leave an hour because everyone will ALWAYS be late!) so if it means you feel comfortable up there, then 10 minutes is well worth your time!

At the end of every rehearsal, I group everyone together. And I go over some important details:

Styled Shoot // A Romantic, Rustic Fair Wedding

October 6, 2015

This ‘Romantic Rustic Fair’ wedding shoot at Dairyland was photographed by Jess H. Photography and styled by PS I Love You Events. Flourish Designs Co. helped announce this special day with a custom invitation creation.

Real-life engaged couple, Ashley + Jeff got to practice their future roles as bride and groom for a day! Our bride, Ashley, had her makeup applied by KLS Makeup Artistry and hair styled by Hair by Kenidy. To bring together Ashley’s look, she wore a beautiful Allure 8800 bridal gown from Le Salon Bridal Couture.

rustic coke bottle engagement ring photo

Red, light blue, pink, and yellow were the playful colors that helped bring together this shoot. Using vintage decor and props from Restless & Refurbished, florals from Flowers by Tiffany, delicious baked goods from Carpenter Bakes, and delectable artisan sweets from Chuao Chocolatier, Edoughble, Lambrecht Gourmet, and QUIN, PS I Love You Events brought beauty to each table. Flowers by Tiffany pieced together the centerpieces with blue hydrangeas from her backyard (how much more local can you get than that?), red gerbera daisies, dahlias, and spray roses. The bouquets included dahlias, hydrangeas, spray roses, and red proteas.

Carpenter Bakes crafted a to-die-for naked berry cake with generous pops of strawberries and blackberries, colorful blueberry and lemon macarons, playful churro cupcakes topped with mini funnel cakes, and salted caramel apple hand pies. Large & mini chocolate bar flavor combos like Potato Chip, Pop Corn Pop, Oh My S’mores, and Strawberry Waffle Wild from Chuao Chocolatier were a decadent addition. Small batch edible cookie dough in various flavors, including seasonal flavors, Sweets as Lemon Pie and Strawberry Jammin’ was featured from Edoughble. Lambrecht Gourmet’s award winning Southern Pecan Toffee & Hoity Toity Toffee were displayed. QUIN, a handmade and local ingredient-based artisan candy shoppe shined with their Dreams Come Chew, colorful jewel-like and flavorful lollipops, and real fruit gumdrops.

And to complete the kissing booth (made by Jess H. Photography’s skilled husband), Flourish Designs Co. created a kissing booth sign and a pair of tickets for the groom to ‘cash in’ for a sweet kiss from the bride. With these elements, PS I Love You Events styled the bride’s and groom’s sweetheart table, the sweets’ tables, and kissing booth in a colorful, fun, and romantic way. Many amazing people came together to make this wedding delightfully one-of-a-kind!