29

Nov

TOO Many Questions? Put their answers HERE!

General, weddings // No Comments

So in the midst of all of this FABULOUS planning, you are fielding calls from cousins, friends, long lost family and so many others asking about where to book their rooms, directions to the church and who is in your wedding…. Ok… NOW BREATHE!!! There is a solution and it’s as easy as sending that phone call to voicemail!

The wedding industry is forever evolving with the times and thanks to that little piece of technology we call the “internet”, we have SOO many resources at our disposal at the click of a button!

One of my favorites would have to be the ever-popular trend of the Personalized Wedding Website! Whether you have a very cute, basic Free site or if you splurge a little on the high tech: video, music, full on production site, your website is a great resource to use as the answer to all of those many, many questions! Freeing up your time for more snuggling and enjoying these next few months!

WeddingWire has an AMAZING FREE option with tons of beautiful designs that correspond with beautiful invitations! They even have Vera Wang paper and Martha Stewart Weddings pages!

The Knot gives you two great options: A FREE site with all the info you can imagine: including your love story, Hotel Room information with links, Directions to the Church and Reception and your own virtual guest book! OR the high tech version, which has a small monthly or yearly fee, that includes unlimited photos, music and video uploads and much more!

You can find these sites in many different places with a simple google search, it’s all about finding the one that fits you the most!

Get creative!!! As one of our fabulous brides has done recently, you can get online and make small business card magnets with their names, the date and their website to put in each envelope with their invites! Or even send it as a cute save the date! It is also a great way to put your registry out there without being too obvious! Hehe Wouldn’t it be easy for them to just click and shop?? I mean they are already online!

The Wedding Website can be a fun resource for you and your fiancé to share your love story and your journey to the altar! Get creative! Have fun! And send me any cute ideas you end up with!!!

Happy Planning! XOXO



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19

Sep

A Week in the Life!

General, vendors // No Comments

Happy Monday Everyone!

We had such a blast this weekend getting to visit with so many brides and some of our amazing vendors: Dei Gratia Photography, Tinkers Cake Shop, Gourmet Goodies and The Ashley Inn just to name a few! The Diamond Rings and Pretty Things Fall Bridal Show was wonderful and we loved getting to meet new brides and hopefully new friends!

This week is a busy one at the studio and we are so excited. For those of you who came out last week or even if you didn’t get to make it out, we are hosting our Second week of Simply Love Studio’s Bridal Benchmark Series! This week, we will be visited by Tiger’s DJ Services, The Ashley Inn B&B, Gold Shield Transportation and Gourmet Goodies! Thelma at Gourmet Goodies will be providing absolutely scrumptious treats for everyone who comes out! Sarah and the girls at Simply Love have come up with yet another simply adorable DIY craft that you won’t want to miss! Come out Wednesday night and join in the fun!

The fun doesn’t stop there, because Thursday night Always Planned and AP Luxury Travel are hosting our Sandals Night! If you are still looking for a fabulous Honeymoon or just an All-Inclusive luxury getaway, come out for some free food, drinks and information on these amazing packages! Rayna and Mallory both chose Sandals resorts for their honeymoons and now can’t imagine taking a vacation of any kind without Sandals!

This weekend was truly wonderful, and we hope to see you all out at some of our fabulous events this week!! Look out for info coming soon about our New Studio Open House next week!!!

Happy Planning!

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06

Sep

Choosing dresses THEY will love!

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So you’ve found your dress; that beautiful, one of a kind, once in a lifetime dress and now you are given the task of choosing the fashion for your beautiful attendants.  This can be a daunting task going into it, but never fear. If you are anything like me, dressing just one person in the morning is stressful enough for many reasons, let alone multiple people! But don’t let this overwhelm you! As a rule, we girls tend to either have too many options we love, or sometimes you just can’t find that one thing that fits just right.

The last thing you want to do is put one of your amazing friends in the position of really disliking the dress or being uncomfortable in the dress she is wearing on your special day. As the recent trends in weddings have leaned towards personal touches, vintage affairs and eclectic style, new “rules” for bridesmaids’ dresses have followed suit. Consider choosing a color, fabric and length and giving the girls the option to choose their own style that they love. Brides have even gone as far as to pick a style and a few different colors or shades and let their friends choose a hue of their liking, (perfect for an outdoor vintage setting in pale pastels maybe?). Finding a dress that could be worn outside of the wedding would be an added bonus to any friend who is contributing financially to her own dress.

This day is about you and your honey, and your girls getting to stand beside you when you say “I do” is an added bonus and a special moment you will all share forever! Making sure they look AND feel great, while creating the “attitude” you want for your wedding will ensure that they are able to relax and enjoy those special moments with you!

Happy Planning!!

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03

Jul

The Wedding of Erin and Greg!

Uncategorized // No Comments

What a fantastic year for Always Planned!  Two wedding where we get to work with the amazingly talented ladies at Angela Anderson Photography!

Erin and Greg were married at the beautiful Barn at  Talon Winery in Lexington, KY on Thursday June 17, 2010 and it was hot!  Hot as in temperature and in style. :) Her florist Jeanie Gorrell did an amazing job with the flowers and Lundy’s Special Events did all of her linens and catering.  The food was amazing!

Erin was such a fun and relaxed bride who was ready to have a great time and get married. The pictures are beautiful!!  See for yourself!   Check out the full blog post over at www.Angela-Blog.com

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17

Mar

Budget Weddings, Invitations and decor- $10,000

weddings // No Comments

This week we are discussing invitations for our $10,000 budget wedding.  I know it has been a little while since our last budget wedding post so in case you forgot our Remaining Budget is: $5,539

We have covered the bride and groom’s attire, the linens, tables, chairs and food.  We still have some big ticket items left.  So lets get moving.

Invitations – your wedding invitations can be as elaborate as you want or as simple.  The key is that they dictate the overall style of your event.  Since our wedding is simple garden elegance and a brunch at that we need nothing more than a simply elegant invitation.

To continue with our garden theme and the colors we have chosen the Climbing Sunflowers invitation from Anne’s Bridal Bargins.

100 invites, with lined envelopes and rsvp cards all printed with return addresses – $164

Decor:

Flowers are the most often used centerpieces, however non-floral centerpieces are becoming incredibly popular.  Since we are going with a summer garden theme in KY it is only fitting that we use flowers.  So here are our centerpieces. A collection of roses, delphinium, sweat pea and greenery.  8 guest tables and 1 larger arrangement in a similar style for the buffet.

Floral arrangements done by Always Planned!

Total cost of reception decor: $750

Ceremony decor to consist of rose petal aisle and two large arrangements – total cost $250

Remaining Budget: $4,375

centerpiece

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18

Feb

Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts – LOVE-IT!

General, vendors, weddings // No Comments

It is so nice to hear of someone doing a good thing.  It is especially nice to hear of a company doing a good thing, even when our economy is in a recession.   I had already been impressed with The Ritz-Carlton family of Hotels and Resorts, but when I recently heard of their generous donation I just had to spead the word.  The Ritz-Carlton’s “Vow to Help Others” program enables couples hosting their wedding reception at a Ritz-Carlton Hotel or Resort to donate five percent (5%) of the total food revenue from their wedding to a charity of their choice AND to The Ritz-Carlton’s Community Footprints Fund (For wedding events booked prior to December 31, 2009 – taking place prior to December 31, 2010).

The Ritz-Carlton has long been supporting the communities around them with their Community Footprints Fund.  The money they donate focuses on Hunger and Poverty Relief, Well-being of Disadantaged Children and Environmental Conservation.   Last year alone they donated over $7.4 million in products and services to charitable organizations as well as over 40,000 hours of volunteer work.

I hope you are considering The Ritz-Carton for your wedding celebration, next vacation or business trip.  Their extraordinary service, gold standards and community envolvement is reason enough – but now that you know the Ritz-Carlton is doing more for the communities around them I know they will become the first choice for all of your travel and celebration needs.

The Ritz-Carlton has many locations throughout the US, Cananda, Mexico, Carribbean, Asia, South America, Europe and in the Middle East. (Wouldn’t it be great to visit each one — with over 80 different locations it could take a while!)  Just another reason to add it to my LOVE-IT folder!

Side-note:  Andrew did mention Hawaii last week… ;)

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30

Dec

COLOR! Love-it!

General // No Comments

Most of you may already know that I love color!  Lately I have been into neutrals, but these fabulous blogs bring me out of my state of boredom and into a color overload.  My all-time favorite color is Turqouise (and most other shades of blue).  You may be redecorating, re-arranging, planning an event or wedding or just simply looking for something in a certain color.  Whatever reason you may have – you simply must check out these colorific blogs!  Already added to my Love-it folder!

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06

Dec

A Romantic All-Inclusive Honeymoon! Love-it!

General, weddings // No Comments

You already know that Always Planned can design and plan the wedding and reception of your dreams- why stop there?  We can now assist you with your fabulous All-inclusive Sandals or Beaches Resort Wedding or Honeymoon!

How does an entire week surrounded by lush landscape, breathtaking ocean views, your very own private pool and a personal butler to take care of your every desire sound?  Add to that unlimited meals at fine restaurants, all the alcoholic drinks you can handle , unlimited golf, scuba and so much more.  Another perk is being able to leave your wallet in the room, all of your gratuities and taxes are already included.

It’s easy to book your fabulous honeymoon.  Either click on one of the many links on our website, email us your details or call us and we can make all of the arrangements.  Even if you are not using our consulting services for your event, we are delighted to help you plan your amazing honeymoon.

So click, call or email us today!

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23

Nov

Vendor Spotlight!! 21C Museum Hotel

vendors, weddings // No Comments

At the most recent KY Meeting of the Association of Bridal Consultants I had the pleasure of visiting the 21C Museum Hotel in Louisville, KY.

This boutique property is part of the 9,000-square-foot 21c Museum, which showcases modern works from established and emerging artists. The lobby alone doubles as a 5,000 sq. ft. gallery, and one of the hotel’s signature features is a group of 40 giant red penguins the staff moves around the property. And these aren’t just any old penguins—they are part of a collection commissioned for the 2005 Venice Biennial. The penguins were everywhere, in the guest rooms, event space and even the bathroom.  Oh did I even mention the stylish bathrooms – ranked 2nd best in the nation!  This amazing place was even ranked 16th in Conde Nast Traveler in the Reader’s Choice Awards.  You really MUST see this place for yourself, with the everchanging art gallery, the yummy food and unique atmosphere it is hard to believe you are in Louisville, KY.

Here are some additional details from their website.

For sales inquiries related to Group Room Booking, please call us at (502) 217-6300. To inquire about space or your next event contact Banquets/Catering Department at 502-217-6312.

Facilities

  • More than 8,000 square feet of meeting and event space
  • 7 meeting rooms
  • Board Room with 42″ flat screen for presentations
  • Contemporary art museum galleries available with agreement from 21c Museum Foundation
  • Catering by Proof on Main

Business Services

  • Full service 24-hour business center
  • State-of-the-art audiovisual equipment
  • Hard-wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, complimentary
  • Professional catering & meeting services
  • Mail and package services
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