Proposing Dreams Wedding & Events

New Song I like....

I heard this on the radio this morning on my way in to the Studio and thought that lyrically it works for both a first dance and mother-son dance - check it out!!

Martina McBride - I Just Call You Mine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcZoNBngAnM

Open House for The Wedding Design Studio!

If you are reading this blog you are probably planning a wedding and do we have some great news for you!

Proposing Dreams Wedding and Events is excited to announce the opening of The Wedding Design Studio; a comprehensive studio offering brides complimentary access to an extensive vault of wedding resources.  A concept seen around the country, but not yet in St. Louis… until now!

The Wedding Design Studio is a haven, a creative stomping ground, if you will, for brides to escape, kick back, and have fun planning their wedding.  Guests may browse our professional member portfolios, bridal magazines, color swatches, planning and etiquette books, and so much more!  Special events will include open houses hosted by top wedding professionals, cake tastings, mini bridal shows and networking parties with local vendors.

 

Planning a wedding should be fun, not stressful…  we’re here to make that happen! And the best part.....it's all FREE!! No where else in St. Louis can you get professional advice and access to such amazing tools with no pressure and no cost to you.

 

See more online at www.theweddingdesignstudiostl.com and please come by and check us out!

 

Bridal Open House for The Wedding Design Studio! Join us for our open house on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 from 4:00pm-8:00pm (happy hour from 5:00-6:00 with drinks and snacks) at 3520-1 Greenwood Blvd. Maplewood, Mo. 63143.  We’re looking forward to seeing you!

 

 

Here are a few photos from our Professionals Open House, excuse my lack of photography talents:

Table Display by Aries Co

Centerpiece by Sisters Flowers

Table Stationery by Dickey Designs

Hightop Table and New High Chivaris from Aries Co

 

A little snack display by Proposing Dreams

 

Our comfy couch area

back of the Studio - that's our little office behind the screen.

 

Information Central - 40 Categories with 10 amazing wedding professional in each!

 

 

Disc Jockey's vs The Must Play List

The average wedding reception timeline goes like this:
6:00-7:00 Cocktail Hour
7:00-7:30 Announcements, Cake Cutting, Toasts, Blessing
7:30-8:30 Dinner
8:30-11:00 Party

So that translates to this:
60 min cocktail music (at an average of 3 min per song) = 20 songs
No music during announcements
60 min of dinner  music (at an average of 3 min per song) = 20 songs
150 min of dancing music (at an average of 3 min per song) = 50 songs

Why am I telling you all of this?? Because if you pick 50-90 songs you have selected every song played at your reception, which is absolutely not necessary!! You hired a professional DJ not only to play the music (any monkey can do that) but to entertain your guests! Let them do their JOB!! Select your first dance, and other signature dances. Then select 5-10 MUST PLAYS, and 5-10 DO NOT PLAYS and then leave it to the pros!!

Nothing can kill a dancefloor like a must play list that doesn’t fit your guests tastes or style. I know, I know it’s YOUR wedding but to be amazing hosts you should be entertaining everyone at your wedding. That is just what a great professional DJ can do!

So now that I have given you all the facts about having a dj, here are my TOP 10 dj’s in St. Louis (in alphabetical order because I love them all) call one and leave it to them:

A Rockin DJ www.arockindj.com
Arch DJ www.archdj.com
Block Rockin Beats www.brbeats.com
CJ's DJ's  www.cjsdiscjockeyservice.com
First Class Weddings www.music4weddings.com
Fullhouse Productions www.fullhouseproductions.com
Millenium Music www.milleniummusic.net
Night Magic www.nightmagicentertainment.com
Over the Top DJ www.overthetopdj.com
Rockstar DJ www.rockstardjstl.com **updated**

Top 3 will be on Great Day St. Louis tomorrow!!!

Check out the Top 3 finalist on Great Day St. Louis tomorrow on Channel 4. We are so excited for this opportunity to showcase our amazing Top 3 live. Tune in or Tivo/DVR at 10:00am to meet the Top 3 couples and fall in love like we have. Start to follow and support your favorite!

It’s an Etsy thing……

While we love all our local vendors and always suggest them first to our clients, sometimes we are not able to find the perfect piece for them. Thus enters Etsy.  As more and more people want to make their weddings unique, many of them are turning to Etsy for those unique items. You can find anything from wedding invitations to hair clips to button bouquets. Anything you want you can find on Etsy and if you can’t find it you can create a post to request someone to make it (this is called alchemy. I plan to do a post just on this topic in the future). If you have that one piece that you feel is missing from your wedding day décor, you really need to check Etsy out.

 

1. Megan Earrings (Rylee G Jewelry) 2.Hydrangea Hair Pins (Meadowbelle Market) 3.Personalized Wedding Sign (The Wooden Owl’s Shop) 4. Cherry Blossom Stationery (Your Style Invitations) 5.Luminary Table Numbers (Made for You Just by Me) 6.Pearl Necklace (heartNsoul) 7.Garters (Perfect Garter) 8. Monogram Ring Pillow (Artful Beginnings)

More and more I am hearing about people wanting to spend money at the local small business with the economy being rough. Etsy even has the option to search for local shops. Some of the vendors will allow free local pick up as well, which is always a bonus.

 

1. Daffodil Invite (P.S. Paper Goods) 2. Bridal Necklace and Earrings (Sekhmets Treasures) 3. Orchid Hair Comb (The Honeycomb)

So take the time to check Etsy out if you have not already because you might find that WOW factor for your wedding there. Also make sure you check back because I am going to tour the Etsy world and search for cool and unique wedding items. So you never know I might find you that perfect missing piece.

Today's To Do's

WOW!! I have been BUSY!!! Hence the lack of blog activity but we're coming back!!

So just for today here is a look at my to-do list:

Answer all emails

Clear out trash emails

Getting appointments made for next week

Get DH's schedule in my day planner for future reference

Make Cassie's to-do list

Write PD Newsletter to Coordinators

Get my own past reviews and the other gals past reviews together

 

Contact Amanda about shortened letter for *secret project*

Make a few follow-up calls for *secret project*

Schedule party for *secret project*

Get all information ready for the launch of *secret project*

 

Order items for client

Go get rest of client's invites

Pay for client's cake

Move appt time with client for Friday

Send out 3 new client bids and return calls from yesterday

 

Work on tententen website updates

Set Schedule for tententen Top 3 Finalist

Get images and videos from yesterday's wild ride

 

Update other websites

Put on Twitter and Facebook badges

 

Tweet this post

 

Get shower, get dressed, possibly buy new dress for tonight's The Knot Industry Party

Take son to in-laws as DH is working since 9:00pm last night to 1:00pm today he'll need to sleep before going back in tonight at 9:00 but then we have the whole weekend off!

 

Go grocery shopping for camping trip this weekend

Pack for camping trip this weekend

Get the last of Mason's stuff for school

Balance check book

Clean house

Do laundry

Schedule next ultrasound after referring to DH's schedule so he can be there

 

and I'm sure so much more!!

 

Better get on it!!!

 

I write this not just to tell you how busy life can get but to show you that making lists can make your planning and day in general much less stressful and ultimately more successful in completing your tasks!!

Boudior Sessions

I have another Boudior Weekend with the Browers and thier Private Collection Series coming up. I'm completing the schedule right now and I have a few more slots available for Friday and Sunday (June 26th & 28th). Contact me ASAP if you want in!

It's super fun - hair, make-up (with the amazing Cindy Rushing who I just realized needs to update her blog) and location are all included - oh and you get to hang out with ME!! I have sat in on over 50 sessions now, I have picked up a few tricks along the way to make you comfortable and look your best!

Here is one of my friends Lyndsey who is just TOO CUTE!! She had a BLAST!!

250 Post by Proposing Dreams Weddings & Events

I'm excited that today's post is my 250th Post!! I want to hear from you! What would you like me to replace this post with?

 

The "Glad I did" and "Wish I had" of weddings...pt 7

from a past client:

Glad I-
~HIRED YOU!  couldn't have done it without a coordinator!
~Fought with vendors to get every detail exactly how I wanted it.
~Saw each other before walking down the aisle...it got all the jitters out
~Took pictures before the ceremony...was able to have fun after!
~Let everything go the day of and enjoyed it!

Wish I would have-
~I don't really have any regrets.  The day was perfect the way it was!

I know I never really wrote you a formal thank you for all you did for our wedding.  I have to say that Andrew and I went to the hotel after it was all over and were so delighted with the way everything turned out.  I never thought that I could relinquish all of my "Type A" tendencies over to someone else.  But I totally trusted you and knew that everything would turn out great.  The day exceeded my expectations and most importantly, we were able to have FUN!  Thanks again for all the work you put into helping us have the wedding we dreamed about!  I am going to ask Andrew is we can renew our vows every 5 years just so I can work with you again!  ha ha ha! 

Elizabeth

Kelly of Kelly Manno Photography -

Off the top of my head....   I AM GLAD I DID -   I am glad I got a shuttle bus and not a Limo so my bridal party was not cramped like sardines, we could actually get up, stretch our legs and get some fresh air.   I am glad I had my aisle runner pre-laid down before the ceremony even started.  I have NEVER seen one of those things un-rolled gracefully during the ceremony :)   I am glad I did a FUN wedding party dance (We did a country line dance) instead of a boring slow dance, after all most of the bridal party didn't know each other well, who wants to slow dance with a stranger?   I am glad I brought a pair of comfy shoes for the reception.  Brides who try to make it the whole day in heels have a death wish!   and of course....I am glad I hired a great photographer because when it's all said and done the flowers are dead, the cake is eaten, the dress is dirty, and all your left with are your PHOTOS!

The "Glad I did" and "Wish I had" of weddings...pt 6

from a past client:

Wish I had
~Had a list of must take photo list for the photographer - i thought that i would remember every one - I didn't. Just make it in case
~DH suggestion - taken professional dance lessons for the First Dance - we just didn't fit it in our schedule and at the time it wasn't important
~Had an off season wedding to lower cost
 
*I only have 3 "wish I had" things. Everything went great on our wedding day. :) 
 
Glad I had:
~Had a DOC
~Had an Out of Town Wedding where I dreamt my whole life - it was a lot of work, but I'm glad we did it this way
~Didn't live with my FI until we were married
~Got all my photos digital and copy rights
~Went on our honeymoon right after we were married

from Shelly of Sisters Flowers:

Wish I had-
~invited fewer people and had a more intimate event.
~gone on a honeymoon sooner, instead of waiting 2 years.
~done all fresh flowers instead of some artificial and some real.
~not done all the stupid posed pictures that no one ever wants.
~let more go and obsessed less.

Glad I did-
~We wrote our own vows--not the sappy "I'll love you until the end of time" type.  We just put our own touches on the traditional "in sickness and heath, for richer for poorer" vows and repeated them after the pastor.
~Glad that we didn't have a huge gap (less than 1 hour) between our ceremony and our reception for the benefit of all our guests.
~Glad that we had the wedding in autumn, our favorite season, so that we had the whole outdoors as our decoration.
~We had a lot of personal touches at the wedding that a lot of people still remember today--custom aisle banners, groom's cake, etc.
~We used vendors I was familiar with and trusted.  I had no worries that day about anything!

Michelle recently married and graduated to Lead Coordinator:

Wish I had.....
~Spent more on centerpieces. I really wanted to create an atmosphere and becasue of budget I spent less than I should have.
~Hired someone to do my invitations. I thougth DIY would save me tons of money, how hard can it be to press print? WRONG, it was very hard to line them up straight, and I did not get what I wanted in the end.
~Had all of my bridesmaids stay the night with me at the hotel the night before. There were a couple of them who stayed with me and it was so fun and relaxing. One last time with the whole group would have been great.
~I should have arranged to have pics with our dogs. I know this is not for everyone but our dogs are our children. Even if it was just one shot of us walking them, I wish they were included in our day.
~Relaxed more at our rehersal and dinner. I let the little things bother me when looking at the big picture those things didn't matter al all. Also I had a hard time letting go of control over to Sabrina. It would have been much smoother if I got out of the way and let her handle the crowd from an outside perspective.
 
Glad I did...
~Stood behind what I really wanted even if it let some people down or it cost me money.
~Sent out Save the Dates. They turned out really nice and we got a lot of compliments on them.
~Rented a party bus big enough for the entire wedding party. It was so much fun to be together and let loose, we ate white castles and drank champagne.
~see my husband before we walked down the isle. It was so romantic to be with just him. It is my favorite memory of the entire day.
~Dance! I danced with alot of guest and had such a great time. I really enjoyed myself instead of worring about getting to every table.