Couture looking Bridesmaid's dresses at ready to wear prices

I have to admit I'm a bit jaded when it comes to ferreting out great finds online and  eyeing offerings at wedding fairs that seem too good to be true.

This past week though, I came across in person a great company, not only in product but personnel. Please consider working with these wonderful people and products.

If you are in the market for bridesmaids or flower girl dresses make a bee line to Anna Elyse.com. They do online orders or in person in their studio in Pasadena at 87 Green Street, suite 304, Pasadena CA 91105. 626-396-1900. It's right above Red Hot and Blue Cafe. They will measure you, consult with you and make the dress from scratch using dozens of patterns they have on hand. They even have a line of flower girl dresses that coordinate with the big girl gowns.

Thy also have a line of very reasonably priced wedding gowns and rehearsal dinner options for brides too. Their forte looks to be silk whether natural or "I can't believe it's not real" silk finish fabrics.

Dozens of colors to select from and several styles to choose from so your bridesmaids don't have to wear the exact same dress but can get flattering bodice styles and skirt cuts for any figure type.

These designs are lined and "wear again" styles, for real!

Now go out and shop?

Enjoy,
Tobey

Making Tough Decisions

 When you have tough decisions to make, especially when those decisions involve family I have used one question to ask myself which often clarifies the choices and assists in making a final decision.

And the question is……………… Do you think you will feel as strongly as you do today about the issue or choice you are making now as you will in 5 or 10 years? If you think you will feel as strongly, then you can feel confident with your decision today, whether you are deciding whom to invite or other matters.

If you are not completely sure or have second thoughts about your feelings on the issue, then it’s best to take a step back, consider other options and realize expressing your feelings and communicating your thoughts to the other key decision maker/s is important in itself and creates the ground work for how to resolve other issue that might come up in the future.

If you are both so strong in your opposing views and can’t reach a mutual agreement or meeting of the minds, then it’s best to turn to a professional counselor or clergy to help you resolve the matter.

Creating the Ideal Guest List

You might wonder, what is the ideal guests list. Is there such a thing? Yes, and here’s what it looks like.

1. The ideal guest list is a group of people that you enjoy their company and want to spend time with one on one .
2. They are also those whom you have shared important milestones in your life.
3. They are the people that you want to be close to in the future.
4. They are the people you work with and want to expand your work relationship into friendship as well.
5. They are the extended family members you enjoy seeing at holiday.
6. They are your college buddies, sorority and fraternity members.
7. They are the time honored next door neighbors and grade school friends forever.

With this criteria, there are some hard choices ahead for sure when either space, budget, or family priorities need to be considered. Here are some measures brides and grooms employ to right size their guest lists.

You can think of having an evening formal black tie affair and discourage children from attending, as a way of trimming down the guests list to children 16 and older.

1. You can create an A and a B list. Using an early response date for the A list and using the space created by the A list guests negative responses to send out a second round of invitations at least 4 weeks prior to the wedding date.
2. Decide to trim your family invitations to the first cousins and not include their extended families.

Finally when you have tough decisions to make, especially when those decisions involve family I have used one question to ask myself which often clarifies the choices and assists in making a final decision.

And the question is......... Do you think you will feel as strongly as you do today about the issue or choice you are making now as you will in 5 or 10 years in the future? If you think you will feel as strongly 5 to 10 years in the future, then you can feel confident with your decision today, whether you are deciding whom to invite or other matters.

Where's the Water?

When you find the perfect wedding site nestled up in the hills high above your city, you are taken with the view, the ambiance, the garden  you can imagine what the hanging lights in the trees will look like in your magical romantic outdoor ballroom.

It isn't until you have already hired the caterer, paid for the site, the photographer, etc. etc, when you are asked by the caterer in a walkthrough meeting at the property, “so where is the water source to rinse dishes or use to make coffee or tea?”

Unless there is an outdoor shower, most properties use grey water for their gardens to conserve water by recycling water and using runoff water when safe to keep the fresh water use down not only because of cost, but to be ecologically aware.

That's why it is advisable to hold about 5% of your total budget aside for the unexpected.  Sometimes the services will need to bill you for extra water for flower prep or food prep and table side water glasses so everyone will be able to enjoy safe drinking water.

Figure on 16 oz of water for dinner at the table for each guest and another 16 oz. for coffee, tea, or water during cocktail hour and beyond.  That doesn't count water to cook pasta if needed or water to wash hands in the kitchen. You can count on needing a quart of water per person for the wedding day, beside the other liquid offerings.

Ice for drinks, cooling wine and champagne along with keeping your any food on ice is extra too.

A good way to make sure you don't forget the details is to make a drawing of the table top and put circles on the paper for each glass, large circles for each plate, and flatware you intend to use on the table tops. Writing the type of liquid you intend to serve, or food for each size of plate, makes sure you haven't forgotten anything necessary for your guest tables. You can check the diagram identifications with the rental list and check off the items from the list and compare with the drawing.

Some pre planning really makes the difference in the long run!

Sara and Mike, Palm Desert CA

Click image above for full gallery. Photography by James Johnson Photography From the summer of '05 when Sara was smitten when she and Mike spent time together in Tijuana with mutual friends. Soon after they became an item.  Six years later, this amazing couple came together in the bride's mother's desert hillside home. They discovered along the way that they both wanted to pursue scientific careers and infused their interest in biochemistry and mechanical engineering in accessories for their wedding day. The escort cards from chemical identification cards, favors in test tubes with a rocket charm, and dry iced enhanced cocktails served out of test tubes all gave special touches to this Summer oasis wedding.

"Your wedding must be planned, but no matter how planned it is, it will still be a day that just happens and it will thrill you. Every bride needs to let go of all anxiety and just know that it will be perfect beforehand, because it really will be".

Tobey's to-do lists were so helpful; the bridal books just don't have the experience and insight for solving difficult planning details.

Sara sent me her words of wisdom recently and I wanted to share her thoughts to future brides and grooms. "Relationships are all as unique as the people that are in them. Because no one approach to love will work for everyone, great relationships are like snowflakes, not equations. And a wedding is no different"!