Check Out This Amazing Wedding Style Blog:

StyleMePretty.com

StyleMePretty.com has amazing tips and ideas for brides with information on everything from fashion to flowers to favors and more. Invitation designer, Abby Jean is the host of the blog and creates beautiful "Inspiration Boards" for brides like the one below she created for my client, Mary's Summer 2008 Pink & Green wedding (Big thanks to Mary for introducing me to this great site!).

Top Row: Martha Stewart flowers, pink party dress by Milly, over-sized table cards; Center Row: Cake on Wedding Style, China featured on Domino, Dress by Judd Waddell on Brides; Bottom Row: pink flowers on Brides, Heidi wrapping paper, Stationery by Sugar Paper

I heart slideshows!

There is no better way to show off your amazing wedding memories then with a slideshow set to music. When I see a great slideshow from a wedding (even ones I did not attend!) I feel that I was there through the whole day... its an amazing way to watch the story of your day unfold.

Check out this one from Rodney Bailey:

http://www.rodney-bailey.com/lelycoevents

Personalized Paper Products!

Some of my favorite wedding/event related items are all of the amazing paper products that you can find to personalize your day. A great way to weave a couple's personality through a wedding is by selecting a motif or monogram to use on everything from the programs to the menus to the favor boxes.

I recently visited Lynne Sandler of Lettering by Lynne and was absolutely astonished at everything she has available... personalized napkins... out-of-towner boxes and bags with matching water bottle labels and snack boxes... beveled, engraved, letterpress and thermography invitations...programs...placecards...seating charts... calligraphy...

I could go on and on...

And not only does she have an amazing selection... the items she has are beautiful and can be customized with special fonts and colors.

If you are the type of person that has a vision in your mind of what you are looking for or have not found something that fits what you want... Check out HiliBanjo.com . She has an amazing talent of creating customized invitations, programs, save the dates and just any printed item you could imagine! She can arrange for any type of printing and paper for the designs she creates. Here is a sample of one of her designs... check out her website for more.

This year's wedding trend---

the popular wedding date!!! 7/7/07!

Couples Choosing 7/7/07 As Their Wedding Date For Extra Dose Of Luck

January 18, 2007 8:34 p.m. EST
Nidhi Sharma - All Headline News Staff Writer

Sacramento, CA (AHN) - Though marriages are made in heaven, the dates can be decided on Earth, especially if it's as lucky as 7/7/07. In a bid to have a string of lucky sevens in their wedding date, the prospective brides and grooms are choosing July 7 or 7/7/07 - as the date appears in print, to get married. Since number seven has long been associated with luck, the couples believe that having all the number sevens in their anniversary date would give them an extra dose of luck.

According to wedding planners, the date is gaining popularity in every state of U.S. Thousands of churches and reception sites have been booked in advance by couples who hope to begin wedded bliss on the lucky date.

AP quotes Tonya Simmons, wedding specialist with Boomtown Casino Hotel on the outskirts of Reno, as saying, "It's the most popular date - ever."
Many believe the popularity of date is due to recent interest in numerology. The increased demand for a particular date will also drive up costs for everything from caterers to florists.

Furthermore, a lot of prospective brides hope this particular date - 7/7/07 will help their husbands to remember their wedding anniversaries.

Personally, I think its for the reason they mention at the bottom!

Thanks to my Aunt for sending along this article! :)

Viva Las Vegas!

I am here in the "Wedding Capital of the World" aka Las Vegas. Every year 100,000 couples get married in Vegas (source: Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce). When it comes to weddings in Vegas... anything goes! From Elvis impersonator-performed ceremonies to costumed Roman solidiers welcoming guests (I saw this today!) the sky is the limit in Las Vegas.

Photo credit Caesars Palace

I had the opportunity to see a few of the wedding chapels at Caesar's Palace and they are beautiful. Caesar's Palace has a team of 10+ wedding coordinators that execute every last detail of your day and everything is pre-packaged so decision making is simple.

Photo credit ElvisChapel.com

For all of the info on Las Vegas weddings checks out http://www.lasvegasweddinginformer.com/

http://www.lvchamber.com/wedding/

Invitations are here!

We have partnered with Checkerboard to bring you invitations, save the dates, announcements and othe printed paper products. The site allows you to order samples and view a preview of your invitation instantly!

Check out a few of our favorites:

Something Modern

Loving Letterpress! - and this one too!

A Classic

Floral

Ok, I could go on and on for days-- check out the site, there is something for everyone and every budget!

" 'Tis the season... to get engaged!"

With Thanksgiving and the rest of the winter holidays around the corner I was reminded of an article I saw last year about the stats of holiday season engagements. 'Tis the Season to Get Engaged by Buck Wolf reported that, "November and December account for 26 percent of marriage proposals.." Also, check out the article to read about a few interesting proposals!

A few other wedding stats I ran across:

~ August is the most popular month to have a wedding

~ Today's brides worry most about going over budget, but are most willing to splurge on a great photographer.

~ The average bride was 22 in 1980, 25 in 1990, and 25.1 today.

Check out this link for more Wedding Stats & Trends from Hallmark.

Hot off the Press!

Check out LelyCo Events in the Fairfax County Times bridal section this month! We are featured in the "Strike Up the Band" article. Pick up the insert for great ideas and local wedding resources.

Featured Event

Photos by www.RodneyBailey.com


Jennifer & Ernest's Wedding
Dominion Valley Country Club~ Haymarket, VA

An outdoor ceremony was planned on the lawn overlooking the pond, golf course, and hills of Virginia. As dark clouds loomed later in the day we were unsure if we would be able to proceed with the outdoor ceremony. As the planner, I coordinated with the country club to postpone the set up for as long as possible. I knew my bride had envisioned her ceremony to take place on the lawn and I wanted to her dream day that she had imagined. Meanwhile, Carly from Affordable Arrangements set up the ceremony flowers (wreaths tied with chocolate brown ribbon with an accent of hypercium berries and bags of ivory rose petals) indoors in case of any sudden change of weather. Finally, we decided togo forward and set up outdoors and hope that the weather held out.

As guests began to arrive, they mingled outdoors and found their seats as the talented Chris Dunn played music on his guitar. The weather was still a bit cloudy outside when the processional began. As Jennifer and her father exited the building to walk down the aisle, the sun appeared and put a "spotlight" on their beautiful ceremony.

The reception was quite the party! The ballroom looked classic and elegant with centerpieces of tall calla lilies. The band, Carte Blanche, kept the dance floor filled all night - the bandleader, Ira, did an amazing job as the MC. The guests feasted on delicious crab cakes and filet mignon and a chocolate fondant "skyscraper" from Manassas Cakery. The cake uniquely tied together their colors by having metallic peach and ivory "windows" on the tall chocolate brown treat! Godiva chocolate bars covered in peach, ivory, and brown graphic paper flanked the cake.

As you can tell by the wonderful work of the photographer, Tabatha Luskey, one of Rodney Bailey's associates- it was an incredible day! It was a joy to work with Jennifer, Ernest, and their families!

Details that made the day:

~ Weaving the colors of ivory, peach, and chocolate brown through everything: the programs, flower girl's dresses, the ceremony decor and favors.

~ Jennifer's Vera Wang sheath was gorgeous. She wore a 50's era "pouf" veil that was stylish and unique.

~ Their cake by Manassas Cakery was made to look like a skyscraper, a nod to city where they met... New York City.

~ The family made a candle lit, Martha Stewart-esque picture display of wedding photos of their parents and grandparents.

Congratulations Jennifer & Ernest!

More pictures:

Brides & Grooms Against Breast Cancer

Today is the DC area Brides Against Breast Cancer gown sale!
If you were unable to make it, check out other dates and cities on their website http://www.makingmemories.org/calendar_of_events.html .

Also, check out other ways you can support the fight against breast cancer with Grooms Against Breast Cancer http://www.makingmemories.org/grooms_against_breast_cancer.html or create a Pink Bridal Shower, check out information here: http://pinkenvelopeproject.org/pep_bridal_shower.html.

Check out this link to see how you can support the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation by giving donation cards as favors at your wedding reception http://pinkenvelopeproject.org/pep_wedding_reception.html .

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Wedding Planners and LelyCo Events

1. Why should I hire a wedding planner? My hotel/venue has a wedding coordinator do I still need a planner?

As your wedding planner, I will help you create, plan, organize and execute a successful wedding. It is my job to make sure that your wedding day is perfect and goes just as planned. I will visit your vendors with you to make sure that they understand exactly what you envision for your wedding day. The wedding planning process is an emotional one and it is important to have a planner to make sure the process goes smoothly. The job of a hotel/venue Wedding Coordinator on the day-of is just like any other vendor, to take care of their piece of the puzzle. They will be making sure the food and space are in order, and if it is a hotel, they will be helping with your hotel room block and other guest requests. The best way to put it is, as your planner, I oversee the entire puzzle.

2. What makes LelyCo Events unique? What is your experience?

I plan events and weddings because its something that I love. Many wedding planners take on as many weddings as they can, I only take a limited number of clients a year. I want to know every detail, memorized as if it were my own wedding. I will give my complete attention to each client without being spread too thin between many clients. I am here to be your advocate, assistant, and often times problem-solver!

I have been working in the events industry for 8+years. I have worked on planning and executing conferences, celebrity charity events, radio station stunts/events, private events, etc. Also, I have a Master's Degree from the George Washington University with a concentration in Event & Meeting Management. You can read more about my experience on our website, http://www.lelyco.com/.

Also, I am a recent bride! In March 2006 I married my wonderful husband Seth in Tampa, Florida. I understand the stress and pressure of being a bride. I also understand that there is a BIG difference between ivory and white and that it is important to match everything to a certain shade of green! So your requests are not crazy to me! I even hired a Wedding Planner for myself and it was 100% the best wedding decision I made!

3. What is a design brainstorming session?

These are a series of meetings where we create the look, feel, and design of your event. We will start with talking about what you imagine it will look like as your guests enter. We will bounce ideas around until we create a vision for your day. We will work to weave your colors, theme, or feel through out the entire event without making it cheesy or overdone. The final product is simple, elegant and unique.

4. What is your pricing? Can you customize packages?

Day-of coordination (which begins about 4 weeks before the wedding) begins at $1,250.00 depending on the complexity and size of the wedding, please contact us for pricing information for other planning packages . Every client is unique and has different needs so we customize packages for each client.

For more details on our packages visit the Social Events page at http://www.lelyco.com/, click on each package to see what services are included. Please contact us for more information at Info@LelyCo.com.

5. Once I have hired a planner, what happens next?

We will meet and discuss your wedding so that I can get a better understanding of where you are in the planning process. You may have just gotten engaged and have no idea where to start or you may have booked a few vendors but are unsure what to do next. We will put together a budget plan and begin/finalize booking major vendors. From there I will help you coordinate the details from invitations to entertainment to transportation. As your planner I will be at your side through out the process and on the day-of to ensure that your vision is realized.

Wedding Trends and Tips!

The After Party!

Many couples are planning parties after their weddings. Some of the parties are just a continuation of the reception and they hire a DJ to take over after the band or have the current DJ to stay later and change the music to more "club" type music. Other couples are having parties in hotel hospitality suites. We have seen couples have gourmet Jell-O shots with a menu that names each Jell-O flavor after different members of the bridal party.

Items to consider:

• How late will my venue allow me to keep my ballroom- will there be an extra charge for a few more hours?



• Closing time? Do I need to extend the bar service? If so, should I include beer, wine and liquor or limit it to beer/wine only or you can order a limited number of signature drinks?



• Noise! If you have a party in your hotel hospitality suite, make sure to let your hotel contact know. Keep the noise to a minimum because you do not want to disturb other guests in the hotel.



• Late night snack: consider ordering pizza, donuts (Krispy Kreme will deliver with a minimum order), or warm chocolate chip cookies and shot glasses of milk. You can also use this idea to give guests as they exit your reception.
  

Unique Tables

Brides are looking for unique ways to decorate their tables.... some are choosing colorful linens, personalized menus, and some are having their florists create different centerpieces for each table.

Ideas:

• Alternating tall and short centerpieces on each table



• Some brides choose to have unique cakes as centerpieces - this is actually a great idea for budget brides-- you have your centerpiece and cake all in one!



• Colorful linens are a great way to pull together your wedding colors without breaking the bank. You can even use your venues ivory or white linens and then spice it up with a bright colored napkin!

The New Guestbook

There are many alternatives to the traditional guestbook. We are seeing everything from customized photo books that guests can autograph to "wishing wells" where guests can leave special notes for the newlyweds. Some couples choose other items to be signed that reflect something about them such as a giant bottle of wine for wine lovers, a poster of the college where they met, or engraved platter to display in their home. A framed matted engagement picture is a great traditional option to collect your guests signatures.

Mini Hors d'oeuvres & Desserts

Instead of getting bigger, things are getting smaller! Mini grilled cheese sandwiches with shot glasses of tomato soup to entire displays of desserts like mini creme brulee and mini tartlets are hot at weddings. Some couples are asking the cake bakers to create mini versions of their cake or cakes that looks like gifts to be placed at each guests seat.

A-List 2006 DC's Best

LelyCo Events was a nominee in the "Best Wedding Planner" category of the WUSA Channel 9 A List Washington DC's Best Local Businesses.