The Wedding Blog by Blue Orchid Designs™ :: Real Advice from the Pros

Wedding Cake Forks for the Mr. and Mrs.

2010-06-14T08:00:00.006-07:00

We're loving these personalized cake forks from Etsy seller Beach House Living. They're a fun and whimsical touch to your wedding, and at only $13 for the set, an affordable memento to remember your day. They'd also make a cute addition to a bridal shower gift, tied to the top of the box with ribbon.

Meet Your Favorite Wedding Bloggers

2010-04-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

The B-List is an association of the most influential wedding bloggers worldwide and will be holding its annual conference in Washington, DC on April 16th-18th. While the conference is invitation-only in order to discuss off-the-record issues related to the wedding blogging industry, there is a cocktail reception on Friday, April 16th that is open to everyone.

If you are a wedding vendor, this event is a great opportunity to meet and chat with all your favorite wedding bloggers in one place. The cocktail reception will be at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia from 7 - 10 pm (and it is being planned by Maria Cooke at Ritzy Bee, so you know it will be fabulous). For more information on registering to attend please click here. We hope to see you in DC next Friday!

You can also follow The B List on Twitter here!

New Destination Wedding Venue in Arizona

2010-04-02T11:28:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the new Ritz Carlton at Dove Mountain for a meeting. I know, my job is really hard, but we all have our crosses to bear.

The Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain is about an hour and a half South of Phoenix and about thirty minutes from Tucson. It's nestled in the mountains, making it the perfect destination wedding spot. It you're looking for a place for your East Coast guests to relax, experience desert life (perhaps with a Prickly Pear margarita in hand) yet still have luxury, then this new venue was made to order for you.

Wedding Venue Cost Caculator :: Free Download

2010-01-11T08:30:00.002-07:00

I've talked about the plus/plus rate and the hidden costs in wedding budgets on this wedding blog before, but in case you missed that post, plus/plus, in a nutshell, stands for plus tax, plus service charge. These figures are in addition to the cost your venue or caterer will quote you for your wedding.

In order to help you figure out what your real costs will be for your wedding location, I've created a Wedding Venue Cost Calculator. The calculator is an excel spreadsheet that you can download for free. Don't let the word spreadsheet intimidate you: all of the instructions (it's pretty easy) are included. The calculator also has space for you to compare the cost of three different venues so you can see at a glance which is the better deal.

If you have any trouble downloading the calculator, try right clicking and selecting "save target as" and then opening after it's saved.

I realize that talking money and calculators isn't the most glamorous or inspirational part of wedding planning, but having a grasp on all the logistical details will help your day run smoothly.

Download your free wedding venue cost calculator here.

Image above and ebook illustrations by Laura Hooper.

Favorite Finds No. 1

2010-01-08T11:30:00.002-07:00

Here are some of the lovely things that caught our eye this week among all the wedding and design blogs:

*I have been against getting an iPhone case for so long for purely shallow reasons: they are just SO ugly. These could change my mind. I'm wishing the Kate Spade version was made for more than just the iPod Touch. (Thanks to Christy at Junebug Weddings for tweeting about these!)

*Love this bright and cheerful color palette for a beachside wedding featured on My Kate Parker Wedding.

*Junebug Weddings released their Best from the Best list featuring the best wedding images of 2009.
Tough to choose a favorite, but number 9 completely moved me.

*If you're looking for real wedding inspiration from real couples, check out the Real Weddings Library on The Bride's Cafe. There are tons of photos and stories from couples who have recently tied the knot.

What are some of your fave finds on the blogs this week?

Choosing Wedding Candles for Your Reception

2010-01-06T09:00:00.023-07:00

Here's a quick wedding decor tip: if you're planning on having votives, tealights or another type of candle on your wedding reception tables, opt for the unscented kind. Scented candles often clash with the aromas of your dinner menu and can quickly cause an unpleasant experience for your guests.

Photo by Katie Stoops of Open Air Photography, table design by Janie Medley of JM Flora and Courtney Spencer of Merriment Events. You can view more photos from this event at Snippet and Ink and The Bride's Cafe.

Questions to Ask Your Wedding Vendors

2010-01-04T09:00:00.001-07:00

If you're newly engaged, congrats! Luckily for you, this is 2010 and there are tons of great wedding blogs full of inspirational photos and ideas to make your wedding completely unique and reflective of you and your fiance (you can check out some of our favorite wedding blogs listed on the right hand side of this site or check out The B-List for a more comprehensive list of the best bridal blogs). The wedding industry is also full of super talented wedding professionals who can take your ideas and bring them to life and choosing those vendors is one of the more important tasks you'll cross off on your to-do list.

In your search for the best wedding vendors, I recommend reading through our Wedding Vendor Hiring Guide. Okay, I admit I am completely biased here because I wrote it, however it is chock-full of questions to ask and things to keep in mind as you hire the wedding vendors you'll be working closely with over the course of your engagement. The guide is free and downloadable as a PDF so that you can print it out and stick it in your wedding planning notebook to take with you to appointments.

Happy planning!

All wedding calligraphy illustrations in the Wedding Vendor Hiring Guide are copyrighted to Laura Hooper.

New Year News!

2010-01-01T09:00:00.009-07:00

I wanted to start 2010 with a little update on what's to come for Blue Orchid Designs this coming year and some fun things that have happened this past year.

As many of you know, I own a second company called Splendid Communications, which does online media consulting for the wedding industry. In an experiment that coincided with workshops I taught across the country, I largely let this blog go for 2009. Now that we are in a new year, we're back to a consistent schedule and the Blue Orchid blog will be updated three times a week. Our focus will remain on featuring practical, tried-and-true advice from a wedding professional's perspective. We'll also be featuring a weekly round-up with links to other wedding blogs that are featuring some of our favorite visual inspiration so that you can get your fill on those as well.

Over the past couple of months, two books came out that we were featured in and we wanted to give those a nod here:

First up, the talented ladies over at Junebug Weddings published a book called Planning Your Wedding: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Perfect Day. I received a copy of this book from the Junebug ladies as a gift, and it is chock-full of wedding eye-candy on nearly every page alongside valuable nuggets of advice. We were thrilled to see that the Blue Orchid Blog was included in their online wedding resources section. You can pick up a copy of this book at any Barnes and Noble or at Amazon.

About a year and a half ago, I did an interview for Alexandra Levit, who was doing research for her book that just recently hit bookstore shelves. In New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a New Career, Alexandra shares tons of practical advice for people looking to transition to a new career. My story of leaving a corporate cubicle to open a wedding business is included in it. You can also pick up this book at your local bookstore or on Amazon.

Happy new year and cheers to a fantastic 2010 and new decade!

New Bridesmaid Store in Chandler

2009-10-08T10:45:00.001-07:00

Twirl Boutique is celebrating the Grand Opening of their new store in Chandler and you're invited to join in on the festivities! Twirl is the original bridesmaid boutique and even has a blog especially for the bridal party. They have some other great announcements in store that they'll be unveiling later this Fall, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out!

Here is the invite. I'll be out of town for this event, unfortunately, so be sure to give Keri and Jenni big hugs from me:

Twirl is twice the fun now! Join us and come celebrate the grand opening of our second store in Chandler. There will be food, drinks and music for everyone to enjoy. Hope to see you there!

October 14th, 2009
5pm - 8pm

Twirl's NEW East Valley Location

2410 S. Gilbert Road Suite #4 Chandler, AZ 85286

Located in Watermark on Gilbert Rd between Germann and Queen Creek.

Take the 202 (San Tan Freeway) to Gilbert Rd (Exit 44)

Head south on Gilbert Rd

**Address does not work for GPS/online maps**

Here are some sneak peek pics of their new shop:

The window display:

The fitting rooms:

The entrance:

Congrats ladies!

Your Opinion Is Needed!

2009-10-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

We were recently contacted by Cristina, a doctoral student at the University of Virginia, who is doing a study on marriage. If you are an engaged couple, she needs your assistance! Here is the info:

Engaged volunteers needed!

I am looking for volunteers for a study of attitudes towards marriage and parenthood among engaged couples. The study consists of a 25-30 minute online survey. To qualify for the study, you must be 20-35 years old, live in the U.S., and plan to marry or have a commitment ceremony within the next 365 days. You and your romantic partner must not have children, and this must be the first marriage for both of you.

You can:
-Help a doctoral candidate;
-Increase the pool of scientific knowledge;
-Support research on marriage and families; and
-Spend some time thinking about your relationship!

I am working with Dr. Charlotte J. Patterson, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. This study has been approved by the University of Virginia Institutional Review Board #2009025800.

If you and/or your romantic partner are interested in participating or want further information, please email me at survey.couples{at}gmail.com. I will send you a link that you can use to access the study.

How to Make An Impact :: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2009-10-01T07:00:00.001-07:00

PinkFact: Four out of five women who are diagnosed with breast cancer do NOT have a family history of it.

Today is the first day of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and if you are in the wedding industry, I would like to encourage you to become involved with Pink Initiative.

Founded by wedding photographer Emilie Sommer, Pink Initiative is a collection of wedding industry professionals and private donors dedicated to funding awareness, outreach, education and research for breast cancer. After a nine month wait, Pink Initiative received it's official 501(c)(3) non-profit status in August (the effective date was made retroactive to October 2008, so all donations prior to August are still tax deductible).

If you or your company would like to be involved, please check out Pink Initiative's latest newsletter on how to do so, including some grassroots ideas from other professionals. You can sign up for the newsletter or make a donation to Pink Initiative on the website (a new website is in the works) and see who else is involved so far. You can also follow Pink Initiative on Twitter, which features daily WedFacts, PinkFacts or PinkQuotes.

A prevention for polio was discovered in our parents' lifetime, which up until then was a feat considered hopeless. Let's press on together so that we can say the same about breast cancer in ours.

Disclosure: I am on the board of directors for Pink Initiative.
Pink Initiative tag designed by Kelly Ashworth Design; photo by Darby Elizabeth Photography; photo shoot for Bride and Bloom Magazine.

Wedding Business Conference

2009-09-30T06:00:00.001-07:00

If you work in the luxury wedding market and haven't signed up for Engage!09 The Encore yet, get over to their website ASAP. Engage! is in less than two weeks, so do what you can to clear your schedules. Here are the details:

Before you sign up, please know that this is not a "how-to" conference: Marcy Blum will not lay out a step-by-step guide to being awesome and funny, Rebecca Grinnals will not give you the blueprint for how she built the Disney Fairytale Weddings brand, and Sean Low will not show you Excel spreadsheet case studies of his work with Preston Bailey. Engage! is designed to be a "thinking" conference: one that shifts your mindset, focuses your outlook on your business and moves you to take big, bold (and sometimes scary) steps to change what you are currently doing in favor of long-term growth. I have personally attended all three previous Engage! conferences, have spoken at two of them, and can attest to the difference it can make in your business in a very real way, including the accounting books.

Kathryn gave me a sneak peek at the guests and some of the wedding professionals attending, including several who spoke at previous Engage! conferences. Some of the people who will be at the Encore include Sylvia Weinstock; Marilyn Oliveira the editor of Inside Weddings; Tatiana Byron, founder of The Wedding Salon; Maria Cooke, founder of Ritzy Bee (and who helped me come up with my company name), Christy Weber and Blair deLaubenfels from Junebug Weddings, and Michelle Rago, whose relatively quick climb to success in this industry is truly inspiring.

You can read my previous recap posts about all three Engage! conferences here:
Engage!09 Recap
Engage!08 The Encore Recap
Engage!08 Recaps: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

You can visit the Engage!09 The Encore website to register and you can follow updates about the conference on Twitter by using the #engage09encore hashtag.

DIY Wedding Shower Favors

2009-09-28T06:30:00.006-07:00

One of the first Martha Stewart crafts I remember making were these little glassine Valentines. It was 1998 and a group of friends and I decided to make this project the subject of a Girls' Night In. They turned out pretty cute, as I remember, and were fairly low on the difficulty scale (and coming from me, you know that means super easy).

These would also make a simple and affordable DIY wedding project and could be used as bridal shower favors or even tucked into the wedding invitation. You could choose a cookie cutter that goes with your theme and trace that shape on to the glassine paper. Choose a thread that matches your wedding colors to tie the look together. Smaller stitches are shown in this photo, but using larger stitches would give the packets an updated, more modern look. The glassine paper was difficult to locate even eleven years ago, but we finally found a small independent art store that carried some.

Are you doing any DIY projects for your wedding?

Photo from Martha Stewart

Grand Opening for the New Kimberly Jarman Studio

2009-09-22T03:30:00.005-07:00

When I first met Kim Jarman, she was planning to move to Hollywood to make movies that meant something and I was learning Farsi in preparation for moving to the middle east to do humanitarian work. I remember one dinner party in particular where we discussed, over a bottle of Australian Riesling, precisely how husbands, babies and everything else we deemed important in life was going to fit in with our lofty plans. We were young and had big dreams.

We are still young and we still have big dreams. Needless to say, those dreams look very different now and I find it a bit humorous that we both wound up owning businesses in the wedding industry; something that had never crossed our minds. I remember when Kim told me she was starting her photography business "for real", I remember her complete excitement and subsequent nail-biting nervousness after she booked her first "real" clients (not family or friends or friends of friends), and I remember, in more recent years, her making the leap of faith to open commercial studio space.

Kim has now moved into a second studio, one more spacious than the first and one that will offer new opportunities as she continues to grow her company. In celebration of this milestone and of all the milestones that have led up to this point, she is hosting a grand opening party next week, and everyone is welcome to come celebrate with her. The event is being planned by the fabulous Heather and Jen of Outstanding Occasions, so you know that it will be, well, outstanding. Here are more details:

Join us for dessert, drinks, door prizes (including a free portrait session!) and more as we celebrate the grand opening of the new Kimberly Jarman Photography studio. The party will be going from 6:00-9:00 so make sure to stop by and check out our new space!

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

6:00 pm

The NEW Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio

126 West Main Street

Mesa, Arizona 85201

Free parking is available on Main Street as well as to the North of our building off of Pepper Street.

Please click here to RSVP.

Congratulations, Kim! I am so excited to see what else is in store for you along this journey!

photo provided by Kimberly Jarman

The Best Wedding Invitation EVER

2009-09-21T03:15:00.001-07:00

This is, by far, the coolest wedding invitation I have ever seen. Enjoy!

via Share Some Candy

Engagement Party Etiquette

2009-08-17T06:15:00.001-07:00

Newly engaged? Check out one of our previous posts on traditional and modern engagement party etiquette.

photo by Jennifer Bowen

Fabulous Daily Giveaways

2009-08-14T08:00:00.007-07:00

Have you heard of The Bright Side Project? If not, please stop reading our blog and click on over to theirs. Right. This. Second. Or as soon as you finish reading this post. Whichever.

The Bright Side Project was developed by two friends as a way to interject some daily sunshine into everyone's glum outlook on the economy. Every day, including weekends and holidays, they give away a fabulous product to one lucky reader. All you have to do to enter is answer a question at the end of the prize post that relates to focusing on the bright side of life.

You can check out The Bright Side Project here and follow them on Twitter here.

Wedding Chair Guide: The Chiavari Chair

2009-08-12T07:00:00.002-07:00

Chair Name: Chiavari (pronounced shih-vah-ree)
Pricepoint: $9-$12 and up

Chiavari chairs, often called wedding chairs or "cane chairs", are perhaps the most famous when it comes to wedding seating. They are both elegant and versatile at the same time and can hold their own in style or they can be dressed up with chair ties, floral or other elements.

There are two types of chair pads most commonly available for the Chiavari chair - a hard pad and a softer pillow pad. An example of a hard pad is in the lower center of the photo collection below - these pads velcro to the chair's seat to stay in place. The other three photos showcase the soft pad in various covers, which tie to the chairs at the back corners.

Chiavari chairs can be found through your local event rental company (Tri-Rentals, owned by Classic Party Rentals, is one of our go-to companies here in Phoenix) and I recommend using La Tavola Linen (they ship nationwide and have the best customer service, hands down) for coordinating all of your wedding fabrics.

Photos by Elizabeth Messina

Hidden Costs in Wedding Budgets

2009-08-11T07:00:00.006-07:00

Talking about money and budgets isn't the most glamorous aspect of wedding planning, but it's one of the most important parts because it means that you can actually get a handle on what needs to happen in order to make your wedding come to life.

Today I want to talk about one of the hidden costs in wedding planning - the plus/plus rate. I've talked about this before on this blog, but several of you are new here and it also seems that this topic continually catches couples off guard when it comes time to pay the bill.

Plus/plus stands for plus tax, plus service charge. These figures are in addition to the cost your venue or caterer will quote you for your wedding.

Let's say your wedding venue and their in-house caterer is charging $100 a plate. (For some weddings this is an extravagant amount, while for others it's a steal. Nonetheless, $100 is a nice round number to visualize and work with for our purposes here.)

The price on the quote you receive from your venue would look something like this:
Dinner: $100++

The plus/plus rates can range per city and per venue, but again for the sake of round numbers, let's say that sales tax is 8% and the service charge is 22% (both of which are not too far off from reality in many places).

So while the quote reads $100++ what it really means is $100 + 8% + 22%, or $130.

That's right, your $100 per plate budget just jumped to $130 per plate. This may seem insignificant while looking at the smaller numbers, but if you plan on inviting 100 guests, that's an additional $3000 that needs to be budgeted for. If you're inviting 300 guests (which is not uncommon for younger couples recently out of college), that's an additional $9000 on top of your $30,000 food bill.

Most venues and caterers will not volunteer what their plus/plus rates are in their sales literature. This number usually doesn't come up until the fine print of the contract when you're ready to book. Be sure to ask each venue or catering company while interviewing them for their rates so that you can make an informed decision when choosing a wedding location.

DIY Wedding Photobooth and a Contest

2009-08-10T07:00:00.001-07:00

I am completely smitten over this DIY photobooth featured on Classic Bride. Photographer Kate Headley set it up as a creative photoshoot for Maria Cooke of Ritzy Bee's new website. The shots below are of Maria setting it up (incidentally, Maria helped me come up with the name of my other company, Splendid Communications, so I totally think that everything she collaborates on is fab). You can get how-to instructions and a behind-the-scenes peek into Kate's thought process on the photobooth here.

In celebration of all the DIY goodness, Sarah Darcy from Classic Bride is hosting a DIY contest with over $1000 in prizes! Here's the scoop from Sarah:

If you're a DIY goddess, get your sewing shears and scissors out because we're looking for the crème de la crème of creativity! I want to see your BEST DIY project(s) . . . they can be big or small, elaborate or simple, so long as they are unique and original!!

Did you stage and style your own engagement photos (what a feat that would be!)? Make a music video montage to show at your reception? Create killer save-the-dates or invitations? Work tirelessly on constructing your own photobooth?

We want to see your efforts and ultimately, we want to see projects that make our jaws drop and have us saying WOW!!

To submit:
Send a step-by-step tutorial of your DIY project to theclassicbride{at}gmail.com. You will need to include written steps AND a series of low-res photos that walk us through your steps to be considered. Deadline is August 20, 2009 at midnight CST.

Are you doing any DIY projects for your wedding?

photos by Kate Headley

Makeup Tutorials from a Pro

2009-08-04T07:30:00.002-07:00

I am such a visual learner. Even if instructions are written out step by step, I like an image to go along with it to make sure I'm doing things correctly. This is why I was so excited to learn that Scottsdale makeup artist Corinna Cooke is offering makeup tutorials on her blog as well as via a series of YouTube videos. Brilliant.

Here are some tips on how to get a Summery look for your eyes - perfect for a bridal shower or engagement party:

Event at J Crew

2009-07-31T10:00:00.001-07:00

My friend Maria, who owns the event planning company, Ritzy Bee (and is also author of the Ritzy Bee blog - be sure to check it out if you haven't yet), is coordinating an event for J Crew on August 9th in Tysons Galleria as they launch their new Fall line. If you're in Virginia or the Washington DC area, mark your calendars to attend! Space is limited, so be sure to email Maria at info{at}ritzybee.com to RSVP.

New Wedding Blog by Marcy Blum

2009-07-29T07:00:00.003-07:00

Celebrity Eventiste and author of Wedding Planning for Dummies, Marcy Blum, has started a new blog and it is a must-have addition to your Google Reader. She is hilarious, witty and having been a wedding planner for over twenty years, has a perspective that is sorely needed in the relatively new wedding blogging community.

You can subscribe to her new blog, Adventures of Wedhead, here.

New Look for the Blue Orchid Blog

2009-07-28T07:00:00.015-07:00

The Blue Orchid Blog received a facelift over the weekend and I hope you'll enjoy the cleaner, lighter vibe. Along with the cosmetic changes you'll find some better functionality of the site. At the top of the main page you'll notice four spotlight boxes: our wedding vendor directory, free wedding planning ebook library, Pink Initiative - one of the charities we're involved with, and highlights of some of our recent press.

The wedding professionals directory is something I am particularly excited about because it will allow us to better showcase some of the best wedding vendors in Scottsdale and Phoenix (and some others that we've worked with from around the country). We are thrilled to be able to present to you wedding professionals whom we know beyond the photos on their websites. People who provide both creative, quality work and excellent customer service. This directory is unpaid and is simply a way for us to share the cream of the crop with you. The list will launch soon, so keep your eye out for that!

I'll also be publishing more of the wedding planning ebooks, each of which will be available for free download in our wedding resource library. If there's a particular topic you'd like to see covered, let us know!

Thanks to everyone who gave feedback yesterday. There are still a few kinks in the system here and there - photos that need to be rescaled to fit, for example - so please sit tight as they are worked out over the next few days. We also want to hear from you - what are you most interested in seeing on the Blue Orchid Blog?

Photo by Jennifer Bowen

Wedding Scrapbook For the Not-So-Scrapbooky Bride

2009-07-27T10:30:00.002-07:00

Confession: I am not a scrapbooker. While I may have the best intentions, let's face it: taking a blank album, cutting out strips of paper, interweaving it with bits and bobs of ribbon and buttons and other cute baubles just doesn't happen for me. This is precisely why all of the tangible reminders of the past fifteen years of my life sit tucked away in photo boxes on a bookshelf, sadly never seen and rarely celebrated.

Enter the Wedding Scrapbook by Darcy Miller. Darcy, probably best known for her work at Martha Stewart Weddings, designed a wedding scrapbook for people like me: people who would love to scrapbook all their memories, minus the tediousness of actually scrapbooking all their memories.

While the scrapbook was published in 2004, it is a classic that can withstand the test of time and makes a great engagement party gift or as a gift to yourself. Illustrated by Darcy herself, it has spots for you to incorporate photos, jot down memories of your wedding and planning process, and even a place to keep your letterpressed and monogrammed cocktail coaster and the other things that aren't included in the album you receive from your photographer. Think of it as a baby book, but for your wedding. And much prettier.

You can purchase the scrapbook at your local bookstore or online at Amazon (where it's currently a steal for less than $20!).

What did you do or are planning to do with the memorabilia from your wedding?

Photos from New York Social Diary and Amazon