Provence Wedding - 2010 Bridal Trends Continue in the South of France

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts the bridal fashion statement this year is vintage and intimate.  This photo captures this trend.  Snapped in Provence this exquisite bride wears great grandmother's laced wedding gown in muted shades of whites, off white and pink.  I can only imagine the wedding was small and cozy and deep in the French countryside.  However, keep in mind that it isn't always less expensive to be married in the country or at home; it is however much cozier and far more intimate.

Here's to Bonne Planning

Joanna

Bonne Mood Board: Turning Winter to Spring

The pastel pink color palette with pale green and cream reminds me of winter turning to spring. Simple and elegantly perfect for the bride that wants a very low key affair.  This wedding is set at home in the country with perfectly manicured green lawns with flowering peonies shrubs and blossoming trees providing a magical background.  Classic spring fare of roasted lamb and rosemary and handmade vanilla macaroons as take away favors.  For blossomy floral arrangement I’d choose pink and cream roses combined with lily of the valley, and would continue the blossom theme with the bridal accessories, cake and invitations.

Wedding Day Accoutrement - Bridal Beauty: Paperself Eyelashes

I have an extraordinary find for the bride. Do you want to make a bridal statement lovely bride?  Something a little different has come my way.  Consider adding these to your bespoke Wedding ensemble; extraordinary wedding eyelashes inspired by the traditional craft of Chinese paper cutting. 

The Paperself Eyelashes are available in (5) five different styles; each pattern represents a traditional Chinese symbol. The Horse symbolizes success; Peonies - happiness and Peach Blossoms - love. Which ever one you choose to wear, these fabulous lashes are guaranteed to turn heads. 

For the bride who wants to make a statement the super sexy large lashes are available to purchase.  For a wedding day walk down the aisle, the more subtle “petites”.  Brides in the United States and outside Britain you can mail order from this British Shop, the only stockers of the Paperself Eyelashes.

Please let me know how they work out!

Here's to Good Planning!

 Joanna

Bonne Inspiration: A Thoroughly Thoughtful Mood Board

I really enjoyed reading today’s post from Sarah at True Events. I really like her creative process and the collaborative effort she shared with her bride Erin in the creation of Erin's Wedding Mood Board. Also, I like the fact that Erin started a journal/blog but most importantly that she understood that besides being a memory keeper the blog was also a marketing tool for her wedding event. Erin understood the need for a designer/planner. After reading Erin’s blog, I came away knowing Erin was overwhelmed and wanted help to harness her mind full of ideas. When planning a wedding whether small and intimate or large and encompassing several venues, get and hire a good planner. There's just too much wedding minutiæ for a lay person to handle. 

Sarah read Erin’s blog, and heard “Simple Elegance, Romantic, Rustic, Vintage, and Whimsical". Then the designer implemented her good design process along with the brides written inspiration - (French Provincial meets Paris Chic, vineyard but not too wine focused, fall but not overkill of oranges and yellow, soft & warm lighting, browns, dark blues, dark purples, flowers but not too flowery, candles, lanterns, and the list goes on...). The designer/planner whittled the bride’s musings down to:

“Rustic Chic Inspiration” and the creation of:

A "Thought Filled" Mood Board.

Here's to Bonne Planning

Joanna

Via Source

Vintage Bonne Papier & Ribbons: Alice in Wonderland & Paris' Printemp Windows

The wedding planning inspiration behind today's blog entry is "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and my tiny collection of two vintage Lewis Carroll books that we kids read growing up in LA. As my family’s default librarian and photo keeper; and a cinema junky I am so looking forward to rereading the books (pulled both volumes off my library bookshelf last night and started to read them both again - easy reads. The two 1936 books: "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice found there" and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland") and seeing Johnny Depp in “Alice in Wonderland" the movie.

Johnny and Alice have inspired my wedding planning DIY bridal vintage find today. Please trot on over to Esty and shop online at Pinkcherrymama. Her product pics are so believable I want to pick each and every vintage tag off the screen. As a crafter, Pinkcherrymama has loads to offer a Vintage DIY bride. She has “old world eyes” and designs vintage, well-used objects with well-loved style. She embraces all things distressed and apparently is entertained and has loads of fun recreating the vintage looks in her own paper crafts. See you soon at her Esty Shop.  Now don’t go away.

Take a looky at Paris’ Printemp Department Store's window displays and their homage to the film “Alice in Wonderland”. 

Here's to Bonne Planning

Joanna

Accoutrement: Bespoke Boutonnieres Fritts Rosenow

This is the spot for you guys to go that don’t want to wear posies and flowers on your lapels – I know you and have met you. Some have expressed their flower overload. Gentlemen, please express yourselves, pop on over and lay you eyes and hands on Fritts Rosenow Bespoke Boutonnieres – here the proprietor allows men to display their own unique personalities. Each boutonniere is created with the individual male in mind. Your dream wedding may involve yachting, skateboarding, moose hunting, and butterflies? 

Compromise and create a custom boutonniere that captures your spirit!



Joanna

Bonne Planning - Sunday Wedding and Event Planning

Hi Friends,

How is your week faring? Have you planned each day Monday through Sunday and jotted down each appointment (yourself included) (in pencil), for your exercise, family, kids, hobbies and have you blocked time for your work in your agenda/planner? People have asked me, now that I am an entrepreneur, a wedding planner and designer and out of corporate life, how do I spend my days? My gosh - shock set in. Is it not clear and obvious what i do? I guess not – they don’t see me any more running to my car to be at work and on time, nor carrying my bag of lunch that is bobbling for a spot on top of my briefcase.   You know what?  They need to see my agenda/planner.

It took "some time" to know how to "spend my time" in my business. In the beginning I was “reacting” to bookings, consultations, appointments, lunches, instead of planning for them. Looking back, I wish I had put all my systems in place beforehand. Since those first days I have now become a master organizer, my thinking is clearer, sharper, I focus on each project with deep concentration. I do not allow interruptions. Have more energy, and I look forward to each and every day. How? My agenda/planner.

I update my agenda each Sunday.   I am a visual type so I keep my agenda in paper format (Moleskin). I also keep a handheld electronic (Blackberry) calendar that I update on the road but then transfer to paper when back at my office. By Sunday evening around 5:00PM I know where I am going to be for the following week, if not the entire month. I leave open several blocks of one hour time slots for last minute client consults and changes in time for client meetings. Some juggling does occur – but I try not to juggle too much.

My days are busier than ever as I am doing “everything” to grow my business. That includes keeping my agenda/planner current.  I am self motivated and self propelled each day.  I find I do a lot of positive self talk in silence, out loud and in the car and between meetings and projects. I have learned to be “tough minded” – something I learned to do and practice from a former “great boss of mine” (thanks Tim).  To be an entrepreneur you have to be tough on yourself – and you have to write everything down – somewhere – let’s start with your agenda/planner.  Are you tough minded? 

This is how my agenda looks most days - like you, I need an hour of some type of aerobic exercise, some lifting. Household chores and errands I get out of the way in the AM and then right about 9:30AM I start with phone calls for a couple of hours, lunch is with a vendor or with a client and after lunch I go straight to my calendar and review my “chunked schedule”. My calendar consists of an hour or two for Vendor Meetings; Marketing Meetings: sales, networking, database management, Client Management; Research and Merchandising; Web and E-Commerce and Publishing: Blogs, Web, Twitter, Ning. E-Letters, etc. In the PM: Networking; Studio Kitchen (when we have a catering job) Client Dinners, Event Management. By the end of the day I spend an hour on reflection and gratitude.

So now a have a solid schedule I can proudly share with my friends – they have stopped asking me what I do all day.

Guess What?

They now all want to work for me. To be continued….

Here's to Bonne Planning!

 

Joanna

P.S. I like Google Calendar

Friday Star Blogger: Mints Design - San Francisco

Mints Design is a design studio and a blog dedicated to wedding & event design as well as all forms of beautiful things. Mints is known for East meets West in Style, blending contemporary European and exotic Oriental elegance into floral art.  Their style is intoxicating, new, fresh and stylish.  Thinking outside the box since 2007 this is Mints Design.

Merci Mints for the Inspiration.

Joanna

Bonne Idees: The Art of Party Festivity

What sets the tone – when it’s time to party? Playing good music. You must have: Background music playing the minute, I mean the minute a guest steps through the door and don’t forget the sound of popping champagne corks. Think festive, festive! Make sure your guests are served quickly. Waiters should circulate a room with trays filled with cocktails (perhaps your Signature Wedding Day Cocktail), champagne, or wine or sparking water or hors d’oeuvres. Also, instruct your waiters not to miss those guests waiting in the receiving line (Note: the receiving line is the best opportunity to greet each guest individually and thank him or her for coming to your wedding. And if you're having more than 50 guests, it's considered proper etiquette. The line also guarantees your guests a minute of face-to-face time with you, a chance to hug, kiss, and congratulate you both. If you rely instead on the more casual greet-them-as-you-see-them approach, you may spend the whole party in a tailspin, ducking out of conversations to say hello to people you haven't greeted yet, and inevitably you'll end up missing someone)

What about humor, adding some laughs to your weddng? Here are some great ways to add a little fun to a wedding day. Something I personally found to enliven the kid in every guest is the funny bendable plastic tube that glows in the dark.  At an outdoor reception I attended everyone was dancing in the dark with these crazy things wrapped around their heads – what a sight, everyone was having a blast.

Other great ways culled from real weddings that I have experienced and that add humor and fun to a wedding day are:

Hand out sparklers for a dazzling send off at the end of the evening. Or, place a tiny swag bag filled with childhood candy favorites and silly toys and noisemakers at each guests place setting.

Rent a pop corn vending machine for guests to serve themselves as they wait in the receiving line.

Or have you thought about games - How about scheduling a treasure hunt, a croquet match?  More about these later. 

Here's to Good Planning!

Joanna

Bonne Inspiration: Vintage Themes Among Wedding Trends Expected in 2010

I found this very informative article on line last night and thought it was realy very interesting; and also includes the colors forecast for this year too.  

  

As with any fashion statement, whether it is in home décor or clothing trends for the upcoming year, there are also forecasts on the trends expected in 2010 weddings.

One of the most common trends will be intimacy. Whether it means a smaller wedding, or a backyard event complete with a homey barbeque, more and more weddings will be smaller scale. This is partly due to couples not wanting to spend a lot given the recent economic times. Keep in mind that it isn't always less expensive to be married at home; it is much cozier and far more intimate.

Many, many couples are turning to DIY for their weddings. From invitations to thank you cards right down to guest favours, the bride and groom are seeking out big craft and business stores to find cost-effective solutions to their budgetary concerns. Some are deciding not to give favours to their guests as a cost-saving measure even though they are well aware of the expense for a couple to attend a wedding; others feel that an expression of their thanks to their guests is extremely important.

Vintage themes are in! Consider 1950's as the inspiration.

Things like Birdcage Veils (a hat or head piece with a veil covering only the face), feather headpieces with a feather clip earring, a headpiece with jewels, and mermaid style gowns are all vintage inspired.

Cake styles from the 50's and 60's where traditional two-tier cakes with traditional cake-toppers and bouquets where elaborate arm bouquets or cascades are in.

Bridesmaids dresses: How often have you heard of a bridesmaid hating the dress she had to wear in a wedding, and, sometimes more than once? Well, the trend now is for brides to choose the colour of the dresses. They leave it up to the bridesmaid to choose a style she likes and one that suits her, making it more likely a dress to be worn in future. They can find off the rack dresses for reasonable prices. Some guidelines have to be issued before the purchases can take place, but everyone ends up happy.

As well as the mermaid dress mentioned earlier, there will be a move toward luxurious ball gowns in heavier fabrics. Asymmetry will be important as will ruffles, draping and some irregular finishes. Is strapless gone? Not a chance. It will continue to be very strong. If you want colour rather than white, this is the year! Bold colours are strong in the colour forecast.

We have seen the unity candle and the sand ceremony. Now there is the Love Letter. It's a beautiful trend with the Bride and Groom each writing a love letter to the other person. The letters are handed to the Officiant, who will say a few words over them, then they are placed in a box, it is locked, and it is not opened until a date the couple chooses. (I call this the Wedding Box Ceremony and several of my couples chose to include it in their ceremony in 2010).

From food, to attire and décor, being eco-friendly continues to motivate vendors to provide cost-effective and environmentally sound choices for the green-minded couple.

Here is a list of the big colours for 2010 weddings: lilac, magenta, pink, mauve, coral, turquoise, gray, fuchsia, buttercup, mango, light blue, navy, and cobalt blue. Think of vintage colours and destinations such as the Caribbean, and you'll be right on. From these colours there are beautiful combinations, let your imagination run wild!

It's your wedding, your budget, your statement, and your style. No matter what the trends are for 2010, you will remember your wedding day for the romance and commitment of the day.

Joanna