Remember what the wedding is all about.

Being a Wedding Planner of course I love everything wedding. I love details, I love décor, I love fabulous dresses and I love all the fun, mayhem and frolics that come with weddings; its all part of the reason why I love my work so much.

But there is one thing I've always said, never aim for the perfect wedding... something will and always goes wrong, it might be tiny or it might be a bit bigger... but at the end of the day....

Source: helloandrea.blogspot.com via Jakki on Pinterest

That is why I say: don't aim for a perfect wedding... aim for a fabulous wedding! 

I am in love with this Caroline Herrera Wedding Dress

I love many different styles of wedding dresses... and yes I probably am one of those big fairytale princess wedding dress gals at heart, but even I can not get over how amazingly gorgeous and simple perfect and stylish and dreamy and sexy and wonderful this Caroline Herrera Wedding Dress is.

Everything about it is perfection, hat & flowers included! { and you just know what I say about perfection!}

SWOON!

Source: nymag.com via Bláithín on Pinterest

A Wedding Planners Rant: I'm not Franc!

Yes this is a totally over dramatic image :)

Can I have a little rant today?

{ Thanks }

I don't know if there are other Irish Wedding Planners out there who get this, but I do, all the time... you meet someone, inevitably the conversation turns to;

'What do you do?'

'I'm a Wedding Planner'

'Oh how exciting... Just like Franc!'

Ugh! Makes my blood boil! Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure Franc { aka Peter Kelly } is just lovely, I've met him on one occasion and he seemed perfectly nice. I'm sure he works very hard, he produces a lovely wedding and I am sure his brides are very happy with him.

Me, as a Wedding Planner, not really feeling the love towards him { actually maybe its him and his show }. You see I am a Wedding Planner... I plan weddings. His show, while entertaining, inspiring and fun, is { over dramatised} TV... its not truely representative of what I do... in that, if things are continually going wrong for me, I'm running around like a blue arse fly, suppliers let me down, time frames go out the window etc etc I HAVE NOT DONE MY JOB PROPERLY!

As I said I am a Wedding Planner! { i.e. I plan weddings }

Of course I have 'those days' nothing seems to go right, everyone is late and occasionally 'bad things' can happen at a wedding. { But thankfully I have planned, with a great back up plan, for that.}

As I said, his show is fun, exciting and at the end of the day { of course } everything works out great but the show doesn't work for me, in that, it paints my profession in a somewhat negative light - that I don't like. I work hard, I plan and prepare for each wedding and couples pay me so that what happens in shows like Franc's doesn't happen on their wedding day.

But of course sensation sells and the drama does keep you hooked; maybe { some } reality might just be too boring for TV? : )

Ps if anyone wants to offer me a TV show I'll only be too happy to dramatise it up and go for the first Drama Queen/ Wedding Planner Oscar ; )

{ Yes I know that is totally hypocritical, but I did say this was a rant; not a careful considered, logical post! : ) }

What is it like to be married?

Shortly after I got married a friend asked me what it was like. Did I feel different. Was our relationship different. I found it difficult to put words on my answer. I did feel different. Our relationship was different. But yet it wasn't.

This however, sums it up I think!

Source: None via Bláithín on Pinterest

Today's Wedding High's First Birthday!

Source: google.ie via Bláithín on Pinterest

It's hard to believe its been a year since I started blogging here, it seems like just a couple of months. In that time, so, so much has happened; I've started a second wedding book, am back planning weddings and start a second blog, a wedding marketing blog, Bride Enomics; The Art of Booking More Brides!

I love blogging so much, particularly about weddings, and I want to thank you all, my loyal readers, for all your comments, emails, tweets and support this past year. I have loads of exciting things planned for the Wedding High blog for the coming year that I hope you'll all enjoy!

I look forward to sharing so much with you this coming year.... roll on our second birthday!

Highlights from the past year.... 

My most popular post: Fresh Green & Regal Purple Wedding Inspiration

Exceeding 10,000 visits a month and going up beyond 14,500! { This year I want to exceed 20,000 visits in a month - will you help me?}

Being Featured in B Magazine and Stellar

Getting to meet and chat with so many wonderful brides & suppliers who shared their stories, their photos and their tips with me and my readers.

Thank you, thank you... ok so Ill leave the 'acceptance' speech there and just say.... Happy Birthday Wedding High!

New Wedding Book; should I write one?

In my life [outside weddings that is] I've just completed my first novel, I hope it will be on book shelves late this year or early next, but that is yet to be confirmed. And with my [very first] wedding book, Distinctive Weddings; Tying the Knot without the Rope Burns now 3 years old I'm getting itchy feet and thinking a second wedding book might just be on the cards?

I am older and wiser, to both weddings and publishing and having gone through an extreme revolution in both industries and have a lot of information and ideas to share, so a new wedding book might be just what the doctor [as well as my bank balance :)]ordered for me.

But my question is, do brides read wedding books still or are the more interested in wedding blogs? Have wedding blogs replaced traditional wedding print media of books and magazines?

What do you prefer?

Wedding Books
Wedding Blogs
Wedding Magazines
Or a combination of all of the above?

Cast your votes now in the comments!

Image from PragDave

Inside the 75 Handbags of a Wedding Planner

This weekend I set myself the task of photographing all my handbags. I had good reason; my closet space is tight and when I'm looking for something nice to dress up an outfit I always find myself amidst a major handbag mess and then for days afterwards they are strewn all over the bedroom. So in the interest of cleanliness [and slight peace of mind] I decided that if I catalogued all the handbags I have it would be easier to view them in a picture folder on my desktop then searching through the various nooks and crannys I have them housed in around the bedroom.

My little project taught me a couple of things:

1. I have ALOT of handbags, 75 in total.
2. I now know where all my pens are.
3. I carry the oddest things at times.
4. I need to clear out more often!

So you may not care or even want to know what I found in my handbags but here you go:


18 Pens
1 Ball of Twine
2 Measuring Tapes
73 Bobby Bins
2 Note Pads
4 Tubes of Lipsticks
3 Lip Glosses
97c [ mostly made up of 1c & 2c]
16 Safety Pins
2 Garters
2 Mascaras
1 Tube of Hand Cream
1 Comb
3 Bottles of Nail Varnish [ Jungle Nude, Cherry Jubilee and Clear]
1 Boxes of Straight Pins
3 Nail Files
1 Roll of Floristry Tape
2 Rolls of Masking Tape
6 Pearlised Pins
1 Bottle of Water
1 Bottle of Coke
7 Packets of Tissues
2 Jars of Vicks
Half a Pack of Strepsals
1 Baby's Rattle 
23 Old Receipts
Too many to count tissues
1 Spoon
4 Mass Booklets
1 Lollipop
7 Earrings [ 3 sets and a loner :( ]
1 Bottle of Handsanitzer
1 Roll of Cream Ribbon
3 Buttons 
1 Watch
1 Camera Battery
2 Packets of Gum
1 Bottle Opener
4 Bottles of Perfume [2 Bottles of Romance, a Bottle of Pink and a Bottle of Hypnosis]  
1 Lighter
2 Tubes of Nail Glue
3 Unity Candles
1 Packet of Gel Soles
19 Artificial Red Rose Petals

Even I was surprised at some of the items... considering I do have an actual Wedding Pack Bag that carries all the 'emergency' type wedding paraphernalia I bring with me.

So what's the funniest/ weirdest/ most unusual thing you've ever found in your handbag? 

Imagine from Catwalk Threads

How not to wear pink to a wedding

No comment!

Image from Manmachine

Bridezillas: sometimes even I'm left in shock!

WARNING: This is a bit of a rant... 

Over the years I've heard some shockers from my brides. I've been asked to get bridesmaids to sign contracts, produce snake charmers, and asked for indoor fireworks, I've even some further shockers from colleagues and friends in the industry [including a bride looking for a chastity belt!] but today, well today [kinda] took the biscuit.

Wedding TV anyone?

First my morning started off with a bit of reality Wedding TV in the form of Bridezillas, and I suppose, in hindsight I really shouldn't be so shocked about this, but I was [and am].

This episode featured a bride totally intent on having a 'celebrity wedding'. She had the celebrity make up artist, the celebrity hair dresser, couture dress [that was unfinished] and the celebrity wedding planner. [Combined nothing really major] but what nearly made me choke on my crunchy nut cornflakes was when the 'celebrity bride' didn't want to attend a close family members funeral, days before her wedding because its clashed with her his & hers celebrity botox... yes you read right!

I want it just like the Celebrities! 

The 'celebrity [under 30] bride' forced her groom to have botox along with her AND she referred to it as the 'relaxing pampering that she had always dreamt of' ????? What took seconds, cost thousands and left them both in pain, puffy, blotchy and bleeding looked anything but relaxing and 'dream like'. The total wedding spend was $120k - and honestly I can't say they wedding was any different [in appearance] to what they would have got for $30k. [Sometimes there is really no account for taste or sense!]

Deep breath and off to work with me...

So with the celebrity his and hers botox still occupying my mind I head to work. I'm in the midst of checking a mountain of emails and in walks my intern. My current intern is a chatty little thing who goes through bouts of incessant chatter to stony faced silence. She walked in, stony faced, unusual for a Monday morning.

'Nice weekend?' I chirped

'It was eventful!'

'Ooohhh?'

'I've been  unbridesmaided'

'You've what?'

'Bride*, has told Me and Lucy* that she no longer wants us as bridesmaids'

 You're just not what I am looking for in a bridesmaid

Turns out my lovely intern, and her lovely [pregnant] friend  Lucy don't 'fit' the wedding party vision! Having previously being asked to join [a popular weekly slimming group], this lovely bride decided that wasn't enough and that pictures were more important than friendships and cut the wheat from the wedding party chaff [so to speak] and has bestowed the 'honour' of Chief Bridesmaid on a size 6 whippet! More fool her is all I say! What bride wouldn't want her lovely life long friends standing with her on the most important day of her life! Especially one who is studying and working in weddings? All I have to say is I hope mocking isn't catching and how dare you treat me lovely little intern like that! :P

Ok rant over!

*ps names have been changed to protect real identities! :)

Image from: Melanie Herbert

7 Questions to ask yourself before hiring a 'Friendor' for your wedding.

Source

We've all got them, friends with talents. Some might even be professionals [now they are the real friendors you want!] But, for the most part who I'm referring to here are the kind hearted [well meaning] friends who enjoy taking pictures, baking cakes, sowing dresses and pruning flowers.

As you watch your wedding budget slowing creep up to the equivalent of the deposit for your house, or even the mortgage itself, it can be tempting to wonder if 'getting a mate to do it' might be cheaper and it might seem that it would, initially. Or you might even have a number of [generous] friends offering their services. If so here are 7 questions you should ask yourself before hiring a friendor:

1. Are they your 'insert appropriate wedding vendor category here' or are they your invited guest who happens to be taking your photos/ driving your to the church/ baking your wedding cake. - There is a difference - a big one!

2. Do they have the proper skills/ talent/ experience to preform/ produce the wedding service they have so kindly offered? [ A wedding isn't a dress rehearsal - if they forget the extra camera battery or to bake the cake for the correct length of time, your wedding might not be the fairy tale you dreamt.]

3. Are you paying them for their service or is this a gift?

4. What happens if you are not happy with the results of their work? They are a friendor after all, how will you complain and or ask for more, or something different [and still remain friends if they get offended?!]

5. Do they have insurance - most likely they don't - what happens if they inadvertently [or even directly] cause an accident causing harm to you, the venue, property or a guest? Who pays up? -Most likely you!

6. Will you have a contract, or a formal agreement for what they are providing - if your hired a professional you most certainly would!

7. Do you have a back up plan if they get sick or can't come? They're [most likely] not a professional/ working in the industry so wouldn't have a partner/ back up vendor they would use regularly.

Lots to ponder there... and I'm sure I've left some things out too... I suppose what I am really saying here is, professionals are [in my opinion] the route to go, but I appreciate that that may not always be possible or within budget for everyone, and that's ok - but if you have gone the friendor route - for what ever reason, be prepared, be realistic, and don't be a afraid to make things a little formal... a little contract wouldn't go astray - I suggest you include:

• The date, start and end times of the service, leaving time for setup and breakdown.
• The address of where the wedding will take place.
• The exact service provided, with a breakdown of goods or specifics. 
• The fee [if any], and when and how it should be paid
• What you are required to supply them with and when.
• A Plan B if they can't make it.

And as always [even without friendors] make sure you have Wedding Insurance! 

Were you as disappointed by the Royal Wedding invite as I was?

I've long said that no matter what Kate and Wills do for their wedding will set the trend for years to come. I've often also said that for me a wedding invite is [perhaps] the most important aspect of a wedding; it sets the tone of what is the come. When I caught my first glimpse of the Royal Wedding invite this morning I must say I was disappointed, very disappointed. [And I hope the only trend this invite is setting is -what not do have as a wedding invite!]

Source

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the couple who have the world's leading Wedding Suppliers and Vendors at their feet and the rest of the world watching their every [wedding] move, this was chosen! I ask you - what were they thinking!

In my [humble] opinion its boring, lack lustre and I really hope it is not a taste of what is to come. Wills and Kate are supposed to be the monarchy of the 21st century and at their first chance [hurdle] to shine, be different and reassure, that yes, they can take us forward, they fail, abysmally. OK, yes, I know, its only an invite... but I think you all get where I going with this.

Lets say a little pray that the rest of the wedding is something to speak of.... and the right kind of something too!

I promise to limit the Royal Wedding posts!

I've just realised that my blog has been taken over by post, concerning and about the Royal Wedding... not a great look when this is suppose to the be 'Ultimate IRISH wedding blog', so while I will never stop I'll stop posting about the Royal Wedding I promise to include me 'non' Royal Wedding' content!

Royal Wedding Party, anyone?

So I've had 'Eviction Parties', I've had 'X Factor Parties and yes I've been strongly thinking about having a 'Royal Wedding Party' but the possibility of the Royal Wedding being broadcast live in cinemas on the day, maybe even in 3D, might scupper my plans!

A wedding date hasn't even been set, although my money is on August 13th, and speculation is riff about the wedding going live and 3D at a cinema near you! With an expected 1 billion viewers estimated to tune in to see Prince Wills and Kate exchange vows, this wedding will probably be the media event of the century, so its easy seeing how everyone and anyone will try and cash in on the event.

Perhaps I should get on to my local cinema and see what type of 'Royal Wedding Party' they'll be organising... save me on the clean up I suppose... anyone got the number for Movies at Swords handy?