The World According to Weddlady

New Candy Buffet - See and Taste

2009-07-10T14:00:00-05:00

If you're a fan of this candy buffet, one of our most popular displays from Kerri and Chico's wedding in October 2008:

then you will want to join us at Colonial Heritage Club on Sunday, July 19 at the "Romance in the Sun" bridal show, where we will reveal (and share!) yet another sweet scene, bound to be the newest hit in our repertoire! See and taste this one in person between 12 and 3:00 PM. I hope to see you there!

Shayna Walker, Owner

Williamsburg Wedding Design

Blog Love

2009-07-10T03:40:08-05:00

I am sending blog love to the following coordinators who kept me on their blog rolls while my posting was sparse during the past year as I temporarily scaled back to make the early education of my children possible. Women who support other women in business deserve a round of applause. I applaud these fellow professionals out loud (and for the record, alphabetically by first name...). Please read their blogs and tell your friends to do the same:

Christina Hagan: Christina Hagan Events

Elizabeth Bailey: Elizabeth Bailey Wedding and Event Planning

Isis Petrie: Destination...Soiree

Meredith Tomasulo: Elegant Engagements

Ladies: you are gems. Mi Blog Casa es Su Blog Casa.

With a thankful heart,

Shayna Walker, Owner

Williamsburg Wedding Design

Budget Saving Advice You CAN'T Always Bank On

2009-07-10T03:09:06-05:00

I feel duty-bound to caution couples who are reading some of the recession-busting advice in national articles as it pertains to weddings. There are many awesome methods of saving money on your wedding, and I'm a big fan of lots of them. There are others that are regionally problematic, and one popularly-suggested one is (as the Martha Stewart Weddings Summer 2009 edition terms in a great article about budget-saving options): "Initiate an Officiant", or essentially have a friend "ordained" for the day.

In many regions that is a sound, money-shaving suggestion. However, it's also almost never going to fly in many localities in Virginia. I say "almost" because there are exceptions, but depending on where you're holding your Dogwood State nuptials, they can be difficult to come by. This great Commonwealth is reasonably conservative. Most jurisdictions consider the act of marrying someone more sacred than an overnight ordination necessarily represents, and "for better or worse" have far stricter requirements that must be met before you can be commissioned to perform a legal ceremony.

My best advice to Virginia-bound couples who want to have a friend marry them is to hire a civil officiant to legally marry them (they can attend the wedding or not depending on your willingness to be married before or after your wedding date) and have your friend perform the ceremonial duties during the actual event. Some civil officiants, like those commissioned by the Williamsburg-area courts are extremely inexpensive as they view the commission as a civil service, and others who make a primary career out of performing ceremonies charge more for their time and expertise. You have to make your choice based on your own priorities.

Bottom line, you need to consult with the clerk of your court before setting your heart on having a friend ordained with the intention of performing your union. And take everything you read in an advice column with a grain of salt and a healthy skepticism until you can verify the legitimacy of the claim.

Happy and WISE planning!

Shayna Walker, Owner

Williamsburg Wedding Design

She's Back - An Open Letter to the Williamsburg Wedding Design Family

2009-06-28T12:52:33-05:00

Ours is a business about families. Several times each month we are privileged to participate in intimate family gatherings at one of the most important events that they will share. This is an honor that we do not take lightly, and one of which we are sincerely grateful to be a part.

Likewise, we share in common with our clients our dedication to our own families. I have owned Williamsburg Wedding Design for over five years, and have watched it grow along with my five-year-old twins Hayden and Sydney. What a joy it has been to see the three of them develop together! I look forward to many more years of nurturing a family and a family business together with my team.

Regular fans of Williamsburg Wedding Design, including the more than 60 couples we have “wed” over the past years, may have noticed that we didn’t take as many weddings over the past eleven months, and our blog entries were fewer and farther between. While the economy has played a part, the reduction in 2008 and 2009 was actually quite intentional.

My two children have made their share of contributions and sacrifices over the years while we watched the seeds of our business grow. In August of 2008 I made a choice to temporarily scale back operations and shift part of my focus to the kids’ preschool experience and education. It was my turn to sacrifice, and I invested a lot of time in ensuring that they were able to successfully complete preschool while I continued to manage daily operations at WWD. Unwilling to sacrifice quality of service, we reduced the number of wedding commitments and simultaneously empowered our staff to take greater responsibility for the business. The results were outstanding, as our clients’ numerous thank you notes and hugs of gratitude confirmed.

The best performance results I can possibly report? The twins graduated from preschool with confidence and charm. Even better? The long hours invested in the many projects necessary for this single mom and business owner to pull off a private preschool education also gave me a “brain break” I didn’t know I needed. I’m returning to full-time leadership of Williamsburg Wedding Design with greater enthusiasm than I’ve experienced in years, and fresh new ideas that I can’t wait to implement!

I will see a lot of my kids over the next three months as I return to them the time that I “borrowed” to do what was necessary for their education and for the business that we consider part of our family. I will also gear back up for another full season of weddings, and I look forward to working with new clients and old friends once again! There are great things to come for Williamsburg Wedding Design, and I sincerely thank our growing extended family for their support and encouragement.

With kindest and best regards!

Shayna Walker, Owner

Williamsburg Wedding Design