Wednesday Wedding Etiquette... New Trends in Wedding Cakes ~ Emily- 1957 to Peggy today

Wednesday Wedding Etiquette Review with Natalie...
A cup of coffee and two of my favorite Etiquette bBooks in  my hands!

LET'S TALK CAKES!

Emily Post 1957.."Wedding cake is an essential of every wedding reception.  Black fruit cake is traditional, and most expensive.  Also used are light fruit cake and pound cake..."

Peggy Post 2006..."One Cake, Two Cakes... Red Cake, Blue Cake... Fake Cake, No Cake."  "Among the oldest wedding traditions is the cake- almost certainly because wheat and other grains... are universal symbold of fertility." 

Natalie 2011...Let's create your perfect dessert station.... cake and all! I love to refer incredible cake vendors to you. Check out RAISE THE CAKE for the latest trends in incredible cake stands to complete your dessert station.

MY COMMENTARY?  LET'S CREATE YOUR PERFECT DESSERT! 

Oui Oui! Paris! What Better Way to Inspire your French Themed Wedding than to Send your Planner to France?

Starting my year off in Paris and Nice!  Oui.  One form of art always inspires another... In this case, Architecture gave me some inspiration for Wedding Design...check out these door shots  from my January soiree.  I'm always in search of inspirations, and .. I'm INSPIRED!  Can you imagine using a similar shaped door for your backdrop of your ceremony?  Entrance to your room?  Engagement Photo Shoot?

Parisan Doors to Flats along the Seine... Check out this Gal that I caught on her daily walk!

Wednesday Wedding Etiquette from Emily and Peggy

More news from Emily Post's Etiquette 1957... The Classic.
 Peggy Post 2010....Wedding Etiquette....The Updated Classic
 From 1957 to 2010, much has changed.  WOW!.
1957 by Emily Post: "From the moment the bride and groom start off on their wedding trip, all the expenditure becomes his."
2006 by Peggy Post (Emily Post's Great Grandaughter-in-Law): "Traditional Division of Costs..."Expenses of Honeymoon"  No mention of "all expenditures becoming his.   Good news for the Groom!

Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Winner~ SUPER SWELL!

Just heard that we've received the Bride's Choice Award for 2011!  Honored to be part of that group of professionals....top 5 % of Wedding Wire Professionals in the country.

  What does it mean to you?  Instead of tooting my own horn, I cut and pasted the information right from their Website. 
"WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of our top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community," said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire.
"Over the past three years, the Bride's Choice Awards™ program has afforded WeddingWire, and the bridal community, the opportunity to recognize those professionals for their unparalleled service and commitment to the wedding industry. We applaud the 2011 winners for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience for couples throughout the prior year."

New Year! New Blog! New Picture Sizes!

Can I be a little self depricating here?  Ok  I will. One of my  New Year's Resolutions was to post blog entries twice a week.  Now that it's almost February, we can see how well that's working.  Thanks to my team, Gloria McCune and Sandra Chang, they're motivating me to get moving on this.  So... take a peek.  New Year!  New Blog!  New Picture Sizes... compliments of Swell Nat.

Sweets from one of my Favorite Vendors....Sweets Indeed 

Sneak Peek: Lauren and Scott!

The gorgeous Oak Creek Golf Club framed a beautiful backdrop for this wedding

The bridal party was chic in black but spicy with coral and green. 

Swell details captured by Jack Randall Photography -(Love him!) were the gorgeous coral and green florals, the flower petals at the ceremony, the papergoods, their sweet favors, and Lauren's haute dress. 

 

The emotion captured at this weddings was palpable.

Best wishes to a beautiful and fun couple!

Our Swell Exclusive to you... Wednesday Wedding Etiquette from the Past... Until Now

Emily Post's Etiquette 1957.  The classic.  It really is no wonder that I became a Wedding Coordinator because my Grandma used to read to me from that book...  Emily Post's Etiquette.   I was HOOKED!  Love rules... and guidelines...with a light-hearted touch.  So, I'm sharing with you, a little Wednesday Wedding Etiquette.  I hope to keep this going for a while, so stay tuned!
From 1957 to 2010, a few things have changed.
Rule #1:
1957 by Emily Post:  "The first fact to remember is that all the expense of a wedding belong to the bride's Parents."
2006 by Peggy Post: "Traditionally, the bride's family assumes the burden of most wedding costs... Nowadays, however, just 27 percent of weddings are paid for soley by the birde's parents."
Good news for Bride's Parents? 

Sneak Peek: Nicole & Mike's Wedding

Remember Nicole & Mike’s engagement shots which were inspired by San Francisco and “Father of the Bride”? 

Well,  back in June, they tied the knot in a classic church ceremony and partied the night away in a gorgeous backyard.  

Nicole’s lovely lace St. Pucchi dress

Jenny B Floral Designs’ lush designs and centerpieces

 Decadent desserts by Sweets Indeed

Gorgeous cake from Zov's

Additional Swell details captured by John Partridge Photography to look forward to: the Parisan inspired Steak and Pomme Frites by http://www.jasonscatering.com/,  the full charming dessert display by Sweets Indeed, and a cigar station by http://www.elbesocigars.com/.   

For a quick look at the evening, check out the video from http://www.amotionvideo.com/: http://vimeo.com/13668031

Wedding Couples and"Wedding Day of Coordination Wedding Planner"/ Vendors in Orange County... Let's TALK about Hiring a Wedding Coordinator

Let's Talk. 
 No beautiful photos here.  Just the truth.  Wedding Coordinators are NOT a luxury.
No bride wants to meet their Wedding Coordinator for the first time on their wedding day.  That's why a "Day of Coordinator" is a novice idea. 

Fellow Wedding Vendors and Wedding Couples  in Southern California:

Having a Wedding Coordinator will be incredible for all of you.

I love Professionals and I love Brides and Grooms.   Plain and Simple.  Being in the Event Business for many years, I know that all Brides and all Professional Vendors appreciate a Professional Coordinator.  
Being a Board Member of the ABC-OC luncheon today,  I listened.  I know the value of what I do, but I was able to listen to fellow coordinators who have been in the business for a very long time to say, "Let's make this the best wedding possible for our clients!  Let's work together... let's refer the best locations, the best vendors."

THE MOST IMPORTANT DETAILS OF THE WEDDING are taken care of by your coordinator. A coordinator of substance usually doesn't say:   "I'm a DAY OF coordinator".  A coordinator who cares about your wedding offers you several levels of service, with the basic level of service being around 1 - 2 months before your wedding. No bride wants to meet someone for the first time on their wedding day.
Here are important questions of the most important day of your day:

Who knows YOU?  Bride and Groom?
Who will run your wedding rehearsal with ease?
Who do you trust to carry out your vision on your wedding day?
Who creates the master timeline of the day?
Who knows your family... and knows how to negotiate the nuances of your family's dynamics?
Who greets vendors and makes sure that  all vendors on the same page?
Who will make sure that all contracts from your vendors are carried out?
Who will coordinate load-in and load-out?
Who will make sure that you have a personal bridal assistant?
Who is making sure that all of your personal items are taken care of?
Who will provide advise on wedding etiquette?

Now, on to the fun.. let's work on making YOUR wedding the most elegant wedding ever...

Kimberly and Jared: Love is in the Air at The Richard Nixon Library

What an incredible couple who were fun, fun, fun!  All during the planning of her wedding, Kimberly was an absolute doll.  Jared was a true Gentleman.  I was lucky to be able to assist them in creating their perfect day.  She was all smiles throughout the ceremony.  The weather was gorgeous, and the sunset was awesome.

Raspberry pink, soft coral and bright green bridesmaids dresses surrounded the glowing bride.  Cantina Light Photography  captured the complementary colors of the bouquet, matched to the shimmery dresses of the bridesmaids.The bridal party looked like models, and the groomsmen were not hard on the eyes by any means.

The East Room was set to perfection by Jason's Catering as guests enjoyed a delicious dinner fit for a king. Tables were strewn with tall centerpieces arranged in glass vases, decorated with glistening dangling crystals by the talented Jenny B Floral Designs.  She's always great to work with!  Jason Jazz from Visions Entertainment had the room rockin', even though it was a Thursday Evening wedding.  These guests knew exactly how to party!

Best of all?  Jeremy, Kim and Jared's perfect baby.

*****5 Star Rating for Swellegant Events*****

I’m  honored to receive the highest rating for my coordination services from Wedding Wire…. Thanks for the reviews!