Bridal Guide June 2012

BRIDE’S GUIDE June Issue 2012

Bride’s Guide

June 2012 Edition

Super Easy, Super Smart Beauty Secrets

From sipping smoothies to researching the paint aisle at the hardware store, the trick to looking great on your big day doesn’t have to be highmaintenance.

Sweet & Simple

Today’s modern desserts go easy on the embellishments and feature delightful details and flavors guests know and love. Say yes to the baking renaissance.

The Honeymoon

Your Long and Winding Road-Trip Honeymoon

The Recession Registry

Get cooking ­– and keep your budget in check - with these go-to kitchen tools.

Wedding Tech Do’s

Thanks to technology, planning a wedding has never been easier!

5 Questions with Donnie Brown

The star planner from ‘Whose Wedding Is It Anyway’ offers his tips for a stylish hometown that event that’s absolutely yours

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It doesn’t take a beauty professional to unlock great looks. It just takes a little practicality – and maybe a trip to the local grocery and drug stores. Here’s bridal party’s worth of no-nonsense beauty tips courtesy of InStyle magazine’s new beauty bible, “InStyle Ultimate Beauty Secrets (Mechler Media, 2010):

Super Easy, Super Smart

Beauty Secrets

CHEEKS Pick cheek colors that complement your skin tone. WARM

COMPLEXIONS look best in yellow-based blush shades like peach and terracotta; COOL UNDERTONES are flattered by blue-based pinks and berries. Not sure if you are warm or cool complected? FIND THE PERFECT CHEEK COLOR THIS WAY: At the hardware store, pick up paint chips in colors that you think could work as blush.

Hold the chips up to your face in front of a mirror in natural light; you’ll instantly see WHAT BRIGHTENS YOUR COMPLEXION vs. what makes it look sallow or gray.

EYES Fix MESSY, CRACKED EYE SHADOW by popping it

out of its tray, putting it into a makeup palette, and crushing it. Add a dab of Vaseline or EYE CREAM until you’ve gotten the right consistency. Voilà! Cream shadow.

After tweezing, swipe brows with rubbing alcohol to prevent ingrown hairs, then reduce redness by applying COLD CUCUMBER SLICES or chilled green-tea bags.

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From sipping smoothies to researching the paint aisle at the hardware store, the trick to looking great on your big day doesn’t have to be high-maintenance

LIPS Apply a balm immediately after getting out of the shower,

when your lips are STILL A LITTLE MOIST; this will create a smooth surface once you’re READY FOR COLOR. Lips extra dry. Combine 1 teaspoon honey with 1 TEASPOON SUGAR to exfoliate them, says makeup artist Kristofer Buckle, who helped polish looks for Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Connelly. He blends the two ingredients in his hand, then applies the mixture in A CIRCULAR MOTION for 90 seconds before wiping it off.

NAILS No emery board. Celebrity manicurist Elle, who has painted

the nails of Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, and Sienna Miller, says the striking surface of a matchbook works in a pinch.

To keep cuticles from drying and cracking, run LIP BALM INTO THEM (and all over your nails) each time you apply the balm to your lips.

Cool weather can make nails brittle and polish chip faster, so protect your polish by wearing gloves every time you step out. To restore moisture to extra-dry nails, try an AT-HOME SOAK of lemon juice, olive oil, and vitamin E oil. To maximize its absorption, remove nail polish, buff nails gently with a towel to exfoliate, then soak for five minutes. Afterward, slip on a pair of cotton spa gloves to keep moisture sealed in all night.

For really stubborn stains, N.Y.C. nail guru Jin Soon Choi, owners of Jin Soon Natural Hand and Foot spas, recommends dabbing whitening toothpaste onto nail beds.

“The whitening agent works on nails the same way they do teeth.”

SKIN If you have dry skin that is flaky, consider changing up your

routine and washing your face with DANDRUFF SHAMPOO instead of your regular cleanser once a month, suggests Wellesley, Mass., dermatologist Elissa Lunder; this REDUCES THE YEAST LEVELS that cause scaly skin.

Clean your cell phone with antibacterial wipes to prevent chin and cheek breakouts. Ideally, you should do it EVERY MORNING, but if that’s too much, aim for once a week.

The day before a party, don’t risk a facial that can leave you red and raw. An AT-HOME MASK made with one teaspoon raw oatmeal and one teaspoon honey is a much safer bet. Let it sit on the skin for five minutes, then rinse.

“The minerals in oatmeal are soothing, and HONEY HYDRATES and kills bacteria,” says aesthetician Kate Somerville, who has worked with Kate Walsh and Debra Messing.

Drink a glass of ice water if your face tends to get splotchy (especially when you’re nervous). Doing so will TONE DOWN YOUR REDNESS. The cold causes blood vessels to constrict and COOL YOU from the inside out, says dermatologist Ellen Marmur.

To control oil and shine, splash your face with COOL BLACK TEA, but do not rinse; it’s A NATURAL ASTRINGENT, says Beverly Hills dermatologist Peter Kopelson.

Refresh your complexion by dipping a washcloth in soy milk and resting it on your face for 10 minutes once a week, suggests Beverly Hills dermatologist Debra Luftman. SOY

IS A SKIN BRIGHTENER and contains phytoestrogen, a plant-derived estrogen that is thought to help prevent wrinkles.

Reduce a pimple’s redness by spritzing a small amount of NASAL DECONGESTANT on the blemish, says Mount Kisco, N.Y., dermatologist David Bank. The spray, designed to LESSEN INFLAMMATION, will do the same for a pimple.

Keep your skin hydrated on cold nights with a MAKEIT-YOURSELF humidifier. Meriden, Conn., dermatologist Nicholas V. Perricone suggests hanging A WET TOWEL from the doorknob overnight (wring out the edges to prevent drips); by morning, the towel will be dry but your skin won’t.

When you get sunburned, drink a fruit or vegetable smoothie to get damage-fighting antioxidants flowing to your skin from the inside, says dermatologist Ellen Marmur.

Then slip into a COOL BATH and follow with a layer of CHILLED ALOE VERA GEL. If you start to peel, don’t pick - it can hurt HEALTHY SKIN and even cause scarring. Instead, slather on a thick, healing ointment.

Source: InStyle Ultimate Beauty Secrets (Mechler Media, 2010) © CTW Features

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Photo credit: Laurie Smith © 2004. Reprinted with permission from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather with Alison Oresman, copyright © 2004. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House.

Cakes

Sweet & Simple

Today’s modern desserts go easy on the embellishments and feature delightful details and flavors guests know and love. Say yes to the baking renaissance

By Bev Bennett | CTW Features When prospective brides discuss their

wedding cake wishes with Maggie Estavillo, they describe what their mothers served at their own celebrations.

“They even bring in pictures of their mothers’ wedding cakes and ask us to replicate them,” says Estavillo, chef/owner of the Nostalgia Bakery and Catering Co. in Sacramento, Calif.

Welcome to the wedding-cake renaissance.

The creations that were popular a generation ago, including red velvet, carrot, 7UP and German chocolate, are showing up on contemporary wedding cake tables.

These cakes, which are both familiar and affordable, are as appealing now as they were when marriage was just a spark in

The Caketionary

If you’ve dedicated your sweet tooth to sticky toffee pudding, pain perdu or other trendy desserts, you may not be acquainted with the cake revival.

You could ask your mother to reminisce – or you could just check the following “caketionary” for the delicious details.

Tuxedo Cake (above) This cake, a specialty of Texas baker Rebecca Rather, is a butter-based chocolate cake, coated with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate glaze for the black and white tuxedo effect.

Page 6 – Bride's Guide – June 2012

Devil’s Food Cake This dark chocolate cake may be made with cocoa or melted unsweetened dark chocolate. Devil’s food cake calls for chocolate frosting.

Champagne Cake/7UP Cake A light white cake that uses either

your parents’ eyes. However, it’s not simply familiarity that puts old-style cakes on the wedding menu. It’s flavor, too. If you’ve been to enough weddings where cakes’ tilting layers trumped their taste, you know how important a delicious cake is to your guests. Just ask your mother. Her cake was to-die-for!

ComfortCake

Comfort foods have been a presence in wedding menus for a couple of years, says Joyce Scardina Becker, director at Events of Distinction, a San Francisco event planning company. So it’s no surprise that the return to satisfying dishes also is influencing wedding cakes, making old-fashioned desserts popular once again.

You don’t want to dumbfound your guests, and by serving such long-treasured

beverage in the batter. Champagne cake is often tinted pink.

nut, pecan and butter frosting, this may be the richest-tasting option.

Red Velvet Cake Cocoa-based chocolate cake with red food coloring in the batter. If you’re planning a green/natural wedding, this isn’t the cake for you, advises Joyce Scardina Becker of Events of Distinction, the San Francisco-based event planning company.

Carrot Cake Moist, spicy and dense using shredded carrots and nuts. Carrot cake slathered with cream cheese frosting is an excellent choice when you’ve got three generations to please.

German Chocolate Cake Made with milk chocolate, butter and eggs and finished with a dense coco-

Hummingbird Cake Imagine cream-cheese-frosted carrot cake but with pineapple and bananas instead of the vegetable.

BakingItOld-School

You’ll find these cakes at bakeries around the country. Some may even skip the traditional tiered wedding cake-structure to get the homey flavors you want.

Rebecca Rather supplies cakes to some of the best weddings in Texas, although she no longer does traditional wedding cakes.

“People really love my cakes, so they order that for their weddings,” says Rather, owner of the Rather Sweet Bakery & Café in Fredericksburg, Texas.

“I’m absolutely getting more orders for cakes than I did five years ago. For a wedding coming up the bride wants a variety of flavors,” says Rather, who is supplying 10 cakes, 2 of each flavor for that nuptial.

Rather’s repertoire includes such mouthwatering creations as spice maple cake with caramel sauce, raspberry white chocolate with macadamia nuts and tuxedo cake. Hummingbird cake also appeals to her clientele.

“I like to take my grandmother’s cake and

Image courtesy Maggie Estavillo, Nostalgia Baking and Catering Co.

and acceptable flavors as devil’s food, you can assure everyone that they’re not eating anything mysterious.

“Some clients want to please everyone’s palates. They’re coming back to basics,” says Estavillo, who runs her catering company with her sister Mary, the wedding cake baker.

The home-style cake also says you’re stepping down from extravagance and returning to a simpler style, which is another trend, according to Kate Cavotti, an associate professor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Estavillo also is witnessing the return to more modest cakes. What she calls retro cakes have little in common with what she was selling two years ago.

“People were saying they’re foodies. They wanted food they saw on the Food Network,” Estavillo says. But that’s changed.“Even though the economy is picking up, brides want a bang for the buck,” she says.

The new sensibility doesn’t mean you have to bake your own wedding cake - you’ve got enough on your plate - especially when you can buy it.

“You can have someone else produce the cake, but it seems more home-style if you have nostalgic flavors,” Cavotti says.

Tam’s Backstage

Vintage Hummel figurines atop a cascade of cupcakes gives a throwback feel to this dessert table

update it,” says Rather, co-author with Alison Oresman of “Pastry Queen Parties” (Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, 2009).

ClassicFlavor

Red velvet, vanilla, chocolate and marble cakes along with champagne cake or its non-alcoholic variation, the 7UP cake, are in heavy demand at Nostalgia.

Like Rather in Texas, Estavillo’s cakes are prized for their flavor.

“When we do fondant cakes people scrape off the icing. People don’t like all that sweetness. They want a great-tasting cake,” says Estavillo.

No matter what the frosting consistency, today’s cake is white.

“I keep getting requests for really white cakes with really big flowers and tons of leaves - with a touch of green for the leaves,” says Estavillo, who associates the look with wedding cakes from the ’60s or ’70s.

But if you think that cake will look as plain as cauliflower on a white plate, don’t worry. Classic cakes can assume new styles, too. For example, for a large wedding ask for a multilayer cake with a different flavor for each tier. For a small wedding, Estavillo recommends a six-inch cake surrounded by cupcakes.

You also can order your favorite vintage cakes as cupcakes, say the bakers. © CTW Features

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The Honeymoon

Your Long and Winding Road-Trip Honeymoon

By Angie Jaime

CTW Features

The archetypal honeymoon, jetting off to Niagara Falls after a traditional June wedding was, for many, a mid-century dream come true. Though a honeymoon is a once-ina-lifetime vacation, it can be quite the task to set out on the marital adventure right after the ceremony. Thankfully, for the couple looking for a truly By By Angie Jaime

CTW Features

The archetypal honeymoon, jetting off to Niagara Falls after a traditional June wedding was, for many, a mid-century dream come true. Though a honeymoon is a once-ina-lifetime vacation, it can be quite the task to set out on the marital adventure right after the ceremony. Thankfully, for the couple looking for a truly one-of-a-kind adventure, setting out on the road can mean a healthy vacation from a “typical” honeymoon.

“The theory that you go on your honeymoon, and that’s the big trip of your lifetime is wrong,” says Joe Brancatelli, a New Yorkbased travel expert who runs the travel website JoeSentMe.com. “You don’t have to do the big Niagara Falls thing and then talk about it for the next 20 years.”

For some, the pitfalls of airline travel alone can be enough to trade a destination getaway for a low-key adventure.

“The journey hasn’t been part of the adventure of a honeymoon for a long time,” Brancatelli says. “I can’t think of a whole lot of things you can do nowadays on a plane that are honeymoon-ish. You’re going to have a helluva

Page 8 – Bride's Guide – June 2012

time finding champagne.”

Because in-flight regulations and restrictions – not to mention shrinking passenger space and growing luggage fees – have taken a bit of the glamour out of jet-setting, staying stateside – within your time zone even – and embarking on a road-trip honeymoon can create memories out of the journey itself.

The pressure is off of having the “wellplanned, show-you-pictures” honeymoon, Brancatelli says. Now, it’s more about making it what you want – not what society tells you it should be.

“You are on your honeymoon, the moment you’re in the car. You can pack whatever you want; tailor it to be anything you want,” he says.

Do YourHomework

“Don’t just pile up your things in a car and go somewhere. Google places in the areas you’d like to drive to; don’t be an informationvirgin,” Brancatelli says. “Don’t lock yourself in, or plan yourself within an inch of your life but, give it some thought.”

“On a car trip it’s a temptation to go too far, but if you only like driving for three hours, only go that far. Think of your partner and what they really love to do,” says Marybeth Bond, author of “50 Best Girlfriend Getaways” (National Geographic, 2007). Take advantage of the chance to make some dreams a reality.

Jamie Jensen, author of “Road Trip USA:

the road trip fall into place. If you have secret dreams of playing Wild West – a la Doris Day in “Calamity Jane” – look into a road trip out where the buffalo roam. Wyoming and Montana have fabulous ‘dude ranches,’ which range from rough and ready to full luxury,” he says.

Don’tForgettheSeason

“Depending upon when the wedding is, the list of possible honeymoon road trip locations simplifies itself,” Jensen says. “The Arizona desert is wonderful during the early spring wildflower season but less-than-perfect in August.”

Don’t limit yourself to big cities. Bond suggests avoiding them. “Go outdoors, in nature, Yosemite, national parks, state parks. It lends

When airline fees and family bragging rights are cramping your honeymoon’s style, the only solution is hitting the road

“‘The Great American Road Trip,’ to some degree, is back,” he says.

Road-trips are certainly easier to tailor to your schedule than airline travel, but that doesn’t mean you can just hit the road, tin cans trailing, without putting some thought into.

Here’s how to do it:

Cross-Country Adventures on America’s Two-Lane Highways” (Avalon Travel Publishing, 2009), suggests simply going somewhere you've always wanted to go – whether it's a romantic tour of New England in fall foliage season, or something a little wild and rowdy like New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

“Having a focus or theme makes the rest of

itself to doing things where you aren’t just going to run around and spend money,” she says.

LocateLodging

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Save a Lot” CUMMING, GA on your tastes, your road trip accommodations could be anything from a deluxe bridal suite in a Big Apple hotel to a tent in a backcountry campsite – even a combination of these, on different nights,” Jensen says.

For many couples, stays at a bed and breakfast are a happy medium.

“Unlike a hotel, where you're only paying for a place to sleep, breakfast is included,” says Mary White, author of “Running a Bed & Breakfast For Dummies” (Wiley Publishing, 2009). “Innkeepers are the local area experts and are available to make restaurant suggestions or suggestions on the best spot for a romantic picnic.”

However, bed and breakfast accommodations are popular and book quickly.

“Don't assume just because it's not ‘high season’ weather-wise that the inn that you want will not be booked,” says White.She suggests you calling ahead to ensure availability.

For those couples looking to take the road to the great outdoors, the National Recreation Reservation Service has updated its policies on booking campsites in national parks. For individual campsites, reservations can be made up to six months in advance for all agencies under the NRRS, with a five-month block

window for Yosemite National Park, as that is particularly popular year-round.

Rulesof theRoad

Even the most unforgettable honeymoon comes with a few do’s and don’ts.

“You have to work to make it romantic,” Bond says. “Keep up the work to make the trip special, take some heart-shaped chocolates, some sexy lingerie, pack a bottle of champagne, make a playlist of ‘your’ songs to take on the trip.” And don’t over-extend the driving part of the road trip.

“On a car trip it’s a temptation to go too far, but if you only like driving for three hours, only go that far. Think of your partner and what they really love to do,” she says.

With endless possibilities and options of where to go and what to do, it’s easy to forget that there are definite things to avoid on your newlywed adventures.

“Check your e-mail only once a day,” Bond says. “That’s right, you’re on your honeymoon, take your honeymoon. Check your e-mail in the morning but otherwise leave the BlackBerry or iPhone off.” © CTW Features

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By Timothy R. Schulte CTW Features Plain and simple, Americans eat out too much. With all the “50 percent off!” offers sent to our inboxes, it’s no wonder.

According to the first ever “Dining Out” survey conducted on behalf of daily-deals site LivingSocial, the average American eats 4.8 meals per week (dining in and carryout).

Um, aren’t we in a recession?

Well, your pending nuptials – and the inherent gift-registering process – is a great time to get reacquainted with your kitchen.

Or introduced.

Focus on a few items that offer quality and functionality, without cluttering the kitchen, and you’ll be dining at Chez You sooner than you think.

Multifunction Pans

First homes aren’t big, so you’ll want pieces that offer plenty of function without taking up a ton of space.

Together, the Le Creuset 2-in-1 Pan is a

Lodge 12-inch cast iron skillet, $27.95, Crate and Barrel

2-quart lidded saucepan; separately, it’s a saucepan and frying pan. The enameled cast iron design offers great heat retention and long-lasting wear protection, so you’ll have plenty of years of soups and pasta sauces, or fried eggs and stir fry, depending on how you use it. Of course, the smart design means it takes up minimal cupboard space.

Le Creuset 2-in-1 Pan – Bed Bath & Beyond, $209.99 No grill? No worries. A cast iron skillet will sear the heck out of a steak, giving it a great caramelized crust, and will roast it to perfection in the oven. The next morning it will fry up bacon and eggs for breakfast.

And it will work just as good 50 years from now as it does today. There isn’t a more

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versatile pan you can have in the kitchen.

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No-Nonsense Knives

Kitchen novices armed with a registry scanner are quick to zap the knife block with the most handles sticking out of it. They should be doing the opposite.

There’s no sense in getting stuck with a bunch of knives you’ll never end up using.

Go for a starter block that only comes with kitchen shears and a knife sharpener, then build your knife collection to suit your needs.

A great Chef ’s or Japanese-style Santoku knife is a great go-to, but this Nakiri knife is the best of both worlds, offering the allaround versatility of a Chef ’s knife with the slice ‘n’ dice quickness of a scalloped-blade Santoku. As you find yourself needing specific-need knives, go for ‘em. You’ll have about a dozen knife slots to fill, after all.

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Name Recognition

It’s OK to name-drop … or name-scan, if you will. There is an abundance of celebrity chef-emblazoned cookware available these days, and that’s a good for two reasons.

One, the name adds an assurance of quality (Giada DeLaurentiis says this pan is awesome!). Two, it gets you excited to use it (I’m going to go braise some beef like Mario Batali!). In addition, going back to multifunctionality, there’s nearly limitless possibilities on what you can do with a piece, whether it’s a grill pan, roasting pan or dutch oven. And, for oven-to-table readiness, they look good, too.

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© CTW Features

Mario Batali Reversible Grill-Sear Pan, $29.95, and Lid, $19.95, Crate and Barrel

Bride's Guide – June 2012 – Page 11

Wedding Tech Do’s

Thanks to technology, planning a wedding has never been easier! But before you go sending evites, here’s what you need to know about mixing technology with tradition

By Lindsey Romain CTW Features The virtual world is endless. Naturally, implementing virtual assistance into wedding planning is equally endless.How do curious brides and grooms-to-be decide what fun Internet wizardry to utilize on the big day and what’s better left alone? Here are some wedding tech dos and don’ts.

DO:

Use online services to help plan a wedding.

Websites like Google Wedding, The Knot and Wedding Wire are great places for wedding planning and inspiration, with ideas for themes and lists of vendors and registries, says Jeff Kear, founder of My Wedding Workbook, another online planning resource. Websites can hold more information than phone apps, so the majority of the planning and organization can take place there.

DON’T:

Send evites instead of invites.

Breaking tradition might be tempting, but print invitations really are the only way to go. “You want your guests to take your wedding as seriously as you do,” says Anna Post, co-author of “Emily Post’s

Page 12 – Bride's Guide – June 2012

Etiquette” (William Morrow, 2011).

Not everyone uses the Internet, so evites threaten to seclude older guests and relatives that are less tech-savvy. Also, the novelty of the printed invitation is something many guests will appreciate.

“A computer screen just doesn’t have the same gravitas,” Post says.

DON’T:

Use Twitter or Facebook to track RSVPs. When it comes to the RSVP, avoid social media. “I do not recommend a situation when your wedding guest list is public,” Post says. “Who are you showing it to? All of the people who are not invited? It’s not even the traditional aspect – it could hurt someone’s feelings.”

Adds Kear: “If people are responding to you via Facebook, other Facebook friends might see messages and wonder why they weren’t invited, causing lots of

unnecessary stress. It’s best to keep the RSVP process private so you can control it.”

DON’T:

Just use phone apps to help plan a wedding.

There are hundreds of apps available for use, ranging in price and in-depth features, but trying to fit every detail into a phone can be jarring and complicated. “Real planning requires a fair amount of data entry, and mobile phones are ill-fit for that,” Kear says.

DO:

Webcast your wedding.

Services like Ustream make it possible for long-distance or disabled invitees to sit in on a wedding from home.

“I think it can be a really cool way to keep the day focused on the people you

love,” Post says.

Kear agrees. “Although there’s no substitute for being there in person, the people who can’t make it will still appreciate the gesture.”

DON’T:

Let a webcam dictate the ceremony.

Post recalls a story she heard about a grandmother watching a wedding via webcam and complaining about the sound the whole time. It’s wise to think ahead so that the technology doesn’t threaten the peaceful mood of the ceremony.

“If you’re using a webcam, it needs to be planned, and it needs to be pretty discreet,” says Post, who suggests having someone assist with taking the video and worrying about the technical difficulties so the wedding party doesn’t have to.

“Definitely have your rent-a-geek on standby.” © CTW Features

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Bride's Guide – June 2012 – Page 13

5

Questions with

Donnie Brown

The star planner from‘Whose Wedding Is It Anyway’ offers his tips for a stylish hometown that event that’s absolutely yours Donnie Brown is a wedding-industry mainstay. In 1994, he opened Dallas-based Five Star Floral Design and Events. Both Lone Star State brides and A-list celebrities took notice of Brown’s penchant for fabulous events, spurring the launch of Donnie Brown Weddings & Events. The pro began appearing on The Style Network program “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway” in 2003 and recently saw the release of his first book “Donnie Brown Weddings” (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2009). Here, the style pro shares his secrets for perfecting your hometown wedding

their wedding-day florals?

A: They should do their homework. They should find the things they like and file them to show to their floral designer. As well, they should file the things they really don’t like so the designer will be able to use that information in the development of the plan.

I personally love orchids – all kinds of orchids. Phaelanopsis is my personal favorite but there are many, many to choose from in a variety of colors. They are useful in many ways from the more exotic to the ultra traditional designs.

Q: As a planner, do you notice something different when planning a wedding for a bride who is a native to an area versus a transplant?

A:Brides come in all shapes, sizes and attitudes. Whether they are from here or there, personalities tend to mix regardless of their point of origin.

It is always fun to bring the destination region into play. Often we will do a regionally themed rehearsal dinner as well as the welcome gift bags for the hotelstaying travelers. Obviously, the better you understand the area, the better chance you have of achieving the goal.

Q: Date. Venue. Guest List. In your book you say deciding the importance of each is different for everyone, which it is, but do you have a order you typically like to work when planning a wedding?

A: It’s really different for everyone. A couple with their heart set on a venue cannot always get their first date option due to other bookings.

They may need to seek out availability and then move on to the date setting. Others may want the date with less preference to the venue.

Additionally, the couple who has to have a certain number of guests will need to take that into account when picking the venue due to space limitations – which can also impact the date selection.

A lot of the stress of these initial decisions is what most couples find incredibly daunting.

This is all before an initial budget can really

Q: You, like many event planners, got your start in flowers. Do you have any tips to share with brides for finding inspiration for

Page 14 – Bride's Guide – June 2012

be confirmed. And the list continues to go on and on.

Q: Do you have any best practices or suggestions for outdoor/public venues?

A: Many high-quality resort hotels as well as country clubs have well-landscaped designated areas to achieve a lovely outdoor wedding ceremony. As well, the couple can get a permit from the parks and recreation department and hold the wedding in a park or on a beach. They cannot really eliminate the onlookers without expensive security, so some of their privacy may be lost at a location like this. Alternatively, they can look for rentable mansions or estates with lovely outdoor areas to hold the entire wedding. Just a warning that these can often carry hefty price tags.

Q: There’s a deluge of wedding information out there today – from magazines and books to TV shows and

ideas brides will get from other weddings.

To answer the question that is your show’s title – Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? – how do you suggest brides filter all the ideas out there and really pinpoint her own style and desires?

A: They should take inspiration from the things they like and filter out the bad. Most couples know when they like something and certainly when they don’t. The planner should be able to make sense of the options and find a tasteful way of combining the couples’ desires into a cohesive plan. Additionally, they should carefully screen where they get their information. If they love the weddings on our show, as a rule, they should use that as a major tool to create their big day. Alternatively, if they read some magazines or watch other television that showcases things that they don’t generally care for, they should then take those out of the mix of options. Most importantly, they should make sure to hire a quality wedding planner. Often a planner can save the couple their fee just in better contract negotiations. It’s a no-brainer.

–Timothy R. Schulte © CTW Feature