On a personal note...

Hi everyone!  I thought I'd deviate from our typical mid-week Wednesday post and share something that's a little more personal than professional...

I have an amazing life - awesome family & friends, great husband, and a beautiful baby girl.  Everywhere we go Kennedy (my daughter) says "hi" to everyone...it takes her a few minutes to feel comfortable with where we are at, but whether it be Target, Starbucks, or Meijer, she insists on greeting anyone and everyone that crosses her path. 

Kennedy doesn't care if someone is white/purple/green/black/yellow, tall/short, thin/heavy, brown-eyed/blue-eyed...you get the picture.  She gladly greets anyone within her peripherial vision.  She doesn't judge, she doesn't gossip, she doesn't care - she LOVES everyone just the same.  Her child-like innocence and the inability to judge others is a constant reminder to me to provide her with a good example. 

Kennedy continues to teach me so many things about life, about faith, and about LOVE.

As we continue on the journey of life, we don't always know what the next route is.  I'm thankful to be loved every day and to love others back.  Lately I have been feeling stressed about life.   When should we have another child, how do we successfully grow this business, what will Kennedy's schedule be in the fall (daycare)?  Kennedy has truly enabled me to step back and enjoy the exact moment.  She is a constant reminder of how fast time flies (when you're having fun!) and how to appreciate the most simple joys in life.

I encourage you to take a step back today.  Leave whatever is making you sad, overwhelmed, stressed, at the door and take a walk to enjoy the beautiful grass or flowers, or get in your car and crank up your favorite song and go crazy.  And if all else fails - borrow a 1-year old and hang out with them for a couple hours...you'll see life in a whole new way :)

courtney@petalsplanningco.com
http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

Emergency Kits

I recently had a friend tell me a story of how she went to a wedding and needed a safety pin for her dress.  She approached the wedding coordinator for one, but was out of luck, the wedding coordinator DID NOT have one...neither did any of the other five staff the wedding coordinator had brought along with her.

I also saw on a fellow wedding planner's blog recently that they had an ant problem at a wedding she coordinated.  She and her team googled the solution and it was...baby powder!  Good thing she DID have that in her emergency kit.

These two stories lead me to write this blog post...

One of the benefits you receive from hiring a wedding planner is they bring what's affectionately known as an "emergency kit" to help solve any unexpected problems or issues that may arise, from spilling orange juice on the bridesmaids dress, to a guest needing a safety pin to hold her dress together.  These emergency kits are a vital part of any wedding ceremony & reception and should be provided to you by any wedding planner and/or coordinator you hire.  Our emergency kits contain items like suntan lotion, lint rollers, breath mints, and all kinds of things you didn't realize you needed or might need (or forget) during your wedding day.  Our job is to make the process of planning your wedding and the day of your wedding as stress free as possible - our emergency kit is supposed to do just that...make you not stressed about if your maid of honor forgot her deoderant, or your best man forgot his toothbrush.  

courtney@petalsplanningco.com
http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

Wedding Coordination

A fellow event planner in Colorado wrote a blog post about outdoor wedding ceremonies and why it is beneficial to have a wedding coordinator (lighted path to the bathroom, enough trash cans, dismissal of tables).  Her post inspired me to write this one:

We are seeing a LOT of outdoor weddings this season, more than ever before.  Some are backyard barbecues, some are beer garden receptions, and some are formal and elegant affairs.  My fellow wedding planner was spot on, outdoor ceremonies and/or receptions do require a bit of extra coordination.  Where is the cake stored?  Who cuts the cake?  Who leads the party from the cocktail hour into the reception?  Who sets up the chairs for the ceremony?  Who moves the chairs from the ceremony to the reception?  If you do not have a wedding coordinator you have two options:  1) Guests move their own chairs from ceremony to reception or 2) You designate a family friend or person in the bridal party to move chairs for you.  However, having a wedding coordinator puts those small details at ease, as they are the ones who takeover those details for you!

However, all weddings require the details to be coordinated in just the right way.  From RSVP's to a day of timeline that lays out the arrival time of family, when pictures are to occur and who will be in them, and when the florist, cake, linens, rentals, etc. are expected to arrive.  There is not one Bride to wants to be bothered with these details on her wedding day, and there is no Maid of Honor or Mother of the Bride that wants to be bothered either.  Wedding coordination is also about giving options, and advice.  For example, you've sent out save the dates, you've sent out invitations, and there is a lack of response from your family and friends.  This is stressing you out...what do you do?

That is where we come in.  Wedding professionals can offer solutions to all the issues that stress you out, and we can ask all the right questions to make sure you have dotted all your i's and crossed your t's.  Many professionals offer a "Day Of" coordination service as well as packages that offer their assistance throughout the entire planning process.  Others also offer consultation services, for those Brides that are super-duper organized, have a tight budget, or just don't need the hand holding.

A good majority of our "Day Of" coordination bookings happen within two months prior to the wedding - when the details should be coming together and the stress is at an all time high.  Most people who didn't hire coordinators say it's the number one thing they would have changed about their wedding.

All wedding professionals are here to help...and all of us offer free initial consultations :)  Let us know how we can help YOU!

courtney@petalsplanningco.com
http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

Your Wedding Website

*This blog post is written by Ashley from Dishy Events based out of St. Louis  I have been wanting to write a post similar to this and Ashley took the words right out of my mouth.  Here is her amazing blog post:*

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past twenty years, you’ve probably heard of this little ole thing we like to call the internet, which is completely changing the way the wedding planning industry functions. Brides and grooms no longer have to stick to the traditional methods of communication, i.e. the response card or the telephone call to share wedding details with guests. All that can be done online. And all of it can be done through a wedding web site (cue the light bulb turning on “aaaahhh” music now).


There are lots of great wedding web site providers out on the internet today, some of which are 100% free. Can you believe it? The words FREE and WEDDING in the same sentence? Two of my favorite FREE sites would have to include MyWedding.com and The Knot (a.k.a the mother site of all wedding planning). MyWedding.com is probably my favorite because it has lots of FREE additional pages that you’d have to pay for on other sites.

Now let’s talk content for you wedding web site. Here are some suggestions of things you may want to include on your site so you AND your guests can get the most out of the experience:

ACCOMMODATIONS. This is pretty plain a simple here; list the hotels you’ve secured blocks of rooms at plus any other hotel options you want your guests to be aware of. This is a quick and easy way to provide your guests with all the information (including contact and price) that they need to book a room for your big day! Saves a phone call or two to your MOB (mother of the bride) as well.

ATTRACTIONS. Most brides and grooms have at least a few (sometimes a lot) of out of town guests. What better way to welcome them to town than by providing a list of attractions they can visit while they’re there. If your wedding is in St. Louis, there is plenty for your guests to do – i.e. the St. Louis Zoo, the City Museum, the Arch, Cardinals games or an Anheuser Busch Brewery Tour.

WEDDING EVENTS. A wedding events page is nice especially for an out of town or destination wedding. The wedding events page can outline any additional activities you plan on doing around the big day (an excursion) and provides details on the ceremony and reception, i.e. the things people might need to know if they forget to look at your invite!

RSVP. In the old days, the only way to find out if someone was planning to attend your wedding was to send a response card along with the invite asking them to send back within so many weeks. Well nowadays, you can simply direct them to your wedding web site to RSVP – talk about saving money on printing and stamps! Plus an online RSVP allows you to easily track all guest responses and export when complete!

These are just a few of the pages you can include on your wedding web site to keep your guests in the loop! You can also have pages that tell your story, introduces the wedding party or shows where your registered! All in all, the wedding web site is a great idea. If you don’t have one just yet, you should really look into it. Besides being fully customizable and easy to use, the wedding web site is in a nutshell a communication tool to reach your guests, which in the end will save you time and stress!

http://dishyeventplanning.com/

courtney@petalsplanningco.com
http://petalsplanningco.com/

It's Earth Week!

Today marks the start of Earth Week!  I encourage you to start a new habit that is eco-friendly and good for our environment.  Whether that is riding your bike to run an errand instead of driving, changing out some light bulbs in your house to more eco-friendly ones, or buying a reusable grocery bag.  I am a big fan of unplugging my appliances when we are not using them - it drives my husband CRAZY!  I am always running around the house unplugging lamps, the toaster, phone chargers, and most of all the washer and dryer.  I am convinced that it saves us a good chunk of money on our DTE bill every month...but who really knows!

This week Targer is giving out FREE reusable bags with your purchase!!!  Supplies are limited, so hurry to get yours!

If you'd like to take it one step further, I encourage you to make one aspect of your wedding eco-friendly.  Whether that is your favors, using LED lighting, serving organic food, or using recycled linens.  You could also donate your wedding dress to http://www.thebridesproject.com/ or you can look for a gently used wedding dress at http://recycledbride.com/. 

courtney@petalsplanningco.com
http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

Real Beauty!

Happy Spring EVERYONE!

The weather here in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been gorgeous (knock on wood!) and we have been extraordinarily busy!!!!  Thanks for sticking with us :)
We love all things beauty related and http://www.realbeauty.com/ has a great post on all things wedding related and how you can beautify yourself from the inside out!  Enjoy :)

Real Beauty

kate@petalsplanningco.com
http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

Celebrity Weddings Extraordinare!

Who doesn't LOVE celebrity weddings?  And there are some gooooood ones coming up!

Hillary Duff and Mike Comrie

Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher

David Schwimmer and Zoe Buckman

Nicole Ritchie and Joel Madden





If you had to choose one, which wedding would you want to go to and why?   I'm excited to see what styles and event designs are chosen for these four very different celebrity couples - any ideas?

How much is too much?

Social Media such as Twitter, Facebook, and now Formspring have taken over...well...the world!?  A Twitter colleague of mine Nancy Liu Chin owner of Nancy Liu Chin Designs in the greater San Francisco area posed the question:

 "Why should anyone Formspring?  Do tell!!!!"

According to their website Formspring is a data collection and management tool used to build contact forms, order forms, conduct surveys, and assist with event registration.  However, I have seen it used mostly to "unmask" the person(s) behind companies.  Companies are able to open themselves up to being asked ANY question, and answering it.  What happens if nobody asks a question?  How do you tell people to "Formspring you?"  I understand the concept behind this particular use of Formspring, but how much transparency is too much?

I will be very candid here; I can barely keep up with Twitter, Facebook, this blog, my website, and clients plus being a good mother, wife, daughter, friend, cousin (you get it)...I can't imagine adding one more "thing" to my daily life.  One Twitter user replied to Nancy and said "it's a way for people to connect with the people behind a company" to which Nancy read my mind - "Are we truly connecting???" 

I had the chance to email back and forth with Nancy and she is so inspirational in her approach to her business, her clients, and social media.  She emailed to me "I miss real connection, the type where you can hear someone's excitement, see someone's energy and feel someone's concern!  My clients often tell me it is my energy that helps them feel confident. And social media can't do that, no matter how many smilely faces or exclamation points I put!" 

We strive to have that same energy and enthusiasm in our planning and coordinating and hope our clients feel our true passion for what we do.
So back to the question - "Are we truly connecting???."  How do we truly connect with others?  Vendors, friends, clients?  Has Twitter, Facebook, and now Formspring forced us to be the people behind the computers behind the business?  What happened to just being the FACE of the business?  My goal for the following few months is to connect with new vendors and establish new relationships.  Admittedly, they are people I first met or "followed" on Twitter, and now I want to chat on the phone or meet in the person.  I want them to KNOW ME as Petals Planning Company.

Brides, Mothers of the Bride, Maids/Matrons of Honor - how did you connect with vendors?  Do you prefer phone, email, in -person?  Are formspring, Twitter, and Facebook enough for you to connect with us?

Vendors - do you use formspring?  How is it working for your and your business?  What do you do that is "unique" to connecting with clients?

courtney@petalsplanningco.com
http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

Something Blue

Photographed by JEM Photography

Every bride has heard the saying:

Something Old

Something New

Something Borrowed

Something Blue

Every bride incorporates the above into her wedding in different ways.  For some, the blue is the color of the garter, or a piece of jewelry.  Some buy blue hair clips or tiaras, and some choose more personal items such as an old family heirloom passed down over the years.  Some choose their undergarments as their "something blue" and for some it's the flowers or the wrapping of the bouquet that symbolizes their "something blue."

Whatever it may be, the most important thing is that it have meaning to YOU.  I love to hear stories of what and why brides chose certain items to be their "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue."  Each person has a unique story and it's so neat to hear about the creative ways brides incorporate those into their weddings.  For some it becomes a theme that is carried out through, such as a "Breakfast at Tiffanys" theme where blue (or Tiffanys blue) is a large part of the decor.

For my "something blue" I had a great friend of mine who loves to go antiquing look for a broach that had blue in it.  She sent me a few pictures and I settled on one that she picked up for me.  In the picture at the top of this blog post it's the piece of jewelry on the far left.  I ended up putting it on my dress in place where the seams divided and it looked stunning. 

What was your something blue?  If you are engaged what are you thinking of having for you something blue?

http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

courtney@petalsplanningco.com

About Me - "Lists"

I am a list person.  I like to think that I am organized and have it all together.  I love adding to my lists, and I love crossing items off my list.  Sometimes I even include line items like "take a shower" to my lists just so that when I cross it off I feel productive.  Five nights out of seven I lay in bed with a million thoughts, ideas, opinions, and "to do" items swirling around in my head.  The other two nights I am so exhausted that I am asleep before my head hits the pillow.  I feel accomplished when I finish crossing off all the items on a list, yet feel a strange and exciting sensation about creating a new one. 

My lists are like other women's dogs that they carry around in a purse.  I don't go anywhere without mine, and I treasure it like a prized possession.  If I misplace it I become become on the verge of going insane, and finding it is like the feeling of when you find your puppy that ran away.

I am efficient because of my lists.  Sometimes too efficient, I get things done and then minds are changed, but that's okay - I accomplished something (at least that's what I tell myself).  My friends and family put up with me and my insane ways.  The other day my husband found my list of items to pack for an upcoming trip.  He just smiled and shook his head - he knows.

Compiling, finishing, keeping, and maintaining lists is a HUGE part of who I am.  I thought my life was busy before having a child...NEWSFLASH...it's about a thousand times busier!  Now my lists are not only for work purposes, but for packing, cleaning, grocery shopping, working out, and planning dinner too (there's more, I just can't think of all of them right now).  I put a lot of pressure on myself to get everything done, and get everything done PERFECTLY.  Maybe that's why my back is as hard as a rock or why I live on caffeine all day every day?  Regardless, it's ME and it's who I AM.

Who are you?  What is unique about you?  What makes you who you are?  Would you change it?

courtney@petalsplanningco.com

http://www.petalsplanningco.com/