You never see shoe clips anymore… but I think that they should make a comeback!! I was browsing through Feather Your Nest here in Lexington where they have lots of antique jewelry and ran across some shoe clips. They are a cheap way to dress up an old pair of shoes and you can get them to match every outfit. Shoe clips can also be a great bridal accessory; use them as your something blue or to bring in the colors or theme of your wedding to your shoes! Custom shoe clips can also be found at Etsy to have for your big day!
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At Always Planned we are very sentimental when it comes to Daddys giving away their little girls. So…. I absolutely love this handkerchief I found on Etsy. This would be a great gift to give dad during those last few moments before that special walk down the aisle…. because believe me he is going to need it.
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Let me start by saying that I truly love all of my brides!
That being said, there is something so meaningful to me to know that I have formed a true friendship with one of my brides. You see, when I met Emily and her mom I instantly knew that we were meant to be friends. Emily is the image of a modern southern belle and her mom, Julie sweet as pie! We have dined together and had cocktails together, laughed together and cried together. And together we transformed Talon Winery into a rustic, romantic and elegant venue for the celebration of Emily and Bobby. I must admit – that big barn has never looked better!
These first few images were taken by the Always Planned Team and simply do not do the decor justice.
The amazing photos below are from the incredibly talented Melanie Mauer – who when I found out we were working together I honestly started to jump up and down!! Seriously!
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Weddings that take place out at Spring Valley Golf Course are always gorgeous, but they are even more stunning when you have a couple who themselves are beautiful and so in love. This was just the case with Sarah and Brian. She was glowing the entire day with true, genuine smiles. It was an honor to get to work such an amazing couple and we wish them all the happiness in the world for their future.
We also got to work with Nick Key, an awesome photographer from here in Lexington who AP had not worked with before. Below are some pictures for you to check out and you can see he did an amazing job!
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For the bride who wants to mix things up a bit…. moving away from the traditional floral centerpiece may be the way to go. One idea is making a centerpiece out of dishes; plates, teacups, etc… It’s very elegant, you do not have to worry about it wilting before the reception begins and when is the last time you went to a wedding where there wasn’t’ flowers for the centerpiece! Each table can have a different theme or color. Just go to your local thrift or antique store and pick up a few different sets. It can even be a fun way for you and your honey to spend a Saturday afternoon…. it can be like a treasure hunt!
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I am going to let you in on a little secret….. but don’t tell anyone!!
We have a secret “rule” here at Always Planned.
Our job is not complete until we hear the rave reviews from at least three key people at each wedding.
Here is how it works.
If we do not hear our bride say “My day was super fab!” or something like that. 
Her vendors saying – “WOW my day was so much better because you guys rock!” and we have to hear from either a guest, family member or a member of the bridal party – “Seriously the best wedding ever!” These phrases, or something similar are what makes us love what we do.
We always go away from every wedding and ask our team – What can we do better? How can we improve? and What time is it anyway?
In all seriousness we like to have fun, make your wedding day awesome and create life’s moments that will last a lifetime.
Looking forward to your wedding!
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If you come from a big family like I do, planning a wedding can be made ten times more stressful trying to figure out how to include everyone so nobody’s feelings are hurt. You can only have so many bridesmaids, guestbook attendants, flower girls and the list goes on… So, I came across the cutest idea for brides who have several kids in their family which they are trying to include in their special day. You can have a couple of different kids be flag carriers during the reception. These flags that they will carry through your ballroom or tent will have sayings on them such as “Buffett Open,” “Cake Cutting,” “First Dance” and so on… This will alert your guests to what is happening throughout the reception so they do not miss anything, plus include the children at your reception!! Fantastic idea!!! 
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Go Green!
Right now it is all about “going green” and at Always Planned we have been trying to be “green” as much as possible. We have been using a brand called Eco Clean that carries all purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, dish wash, glass cleaner and hand wash. All the ingredients are Danish products grown and found around Scandinavia. One of the main ingredients used in all of the products are sugar beets. The sugars used from the beets have very high detergency properties for cleaning and sanitizing. Eco It is child friendly, pet friendly, “green” and even smells good!! What more could you ask for in cleaning products!!! (These products can be found at Alice.com.)
As wedding/event coordinators we never really know what we are going to get ourselves into, so we always have hand sanitizer with us at all times. Clean Well is a naturally based sanitizer that we have been using for the past couple of months. It is the only hand sanitizer proven to kill 99.99% of germs without using alcohol or all of the other toxic chemicals used in everything else. It even leaves yours hands soft!! (These products can be found at Target, GNC, Whole Foods Market and many more!)
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Ok, so maybe this is not a formal introduction but more of a promotion. Whatever it is, it is fantastic news!
Mallory Harmon has been a part of Always Planned since the very beginning and I could not even imagine Always Planned without her. When it came time for Always Planned to grow, Mallory was the obvious choice! With three years of experience, planning her own wedding behind her and amazing attention to detail – any bride would be totally impressed with her style, grace and southern charm.
So what will she be up to? Mallory will continue her original role, while also taking on a lot more responsibility. Existing clients and new Always Planned clients will work directly with Mallory as they finalize all of the details for their big day. Also, beginning in August of 2010 Mallory will join Rayna and Leigh as full service travel agents as Always Planned becomes the ultimate resource in all things honeymoon, all-inclusive resorts and luxury travel.
We are thrilled, honored and excited for Mallory to take Always Planned to a new level. Congratulations Mallory!
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