Where to start?.....
You had the moment, the question was popped and there may or may not be a ring.  Now what? The first question on every ones mind.... When is the big day?  How do you choose, after all, there are 365 of them!  Start at the beginning.

1. What is your favorite time of year? For example, mine is autumn.  I love it.  The trees when they turn, the smell of the leaves drying up and that cool crisp air.  Unless, you live in Florida.  While I would have loved to have gotten married in October, that also happens to be my birthday month and my husbands.  Honestly, we wanted something earlier in the year so we could have an excuse to take a trip during another part of the year.  So October was out.  How about spring? One of my favorite musicals as a child (yes I said musicals) was Camelot.  There was an entire act devoted to May day.  No war, no battles, just love.  So May day it was!!

2.  What time of day? you really want to be outside, but in Florida that knocks out most of the year during daylight hours.  Its super hot, and sticky.  What have you always thought you would like in your photos? What type of meal have you thought about? A lavish breakfast? A lovely picnic? A plated dinner.  That will help you decide what time of day.

                           Married with candlelight your dream? plan accordingly

Once you have chosen the date and time, then you can move on to the details.  consider the types of photos you want, and that will help you decide as well, happy planning!

A dream come true

I love planning.  I love calendars, stationary, sticky notes, all of it.  I learned how to do calligraphy at 10 with a kit my parents had gotten me for Christmas.  So it isn't really a surprise that i would love event planning. Timelines, schedules, errands, themes, color schemes.  You name it, I love it.  I started by planning birthday parties for friends, and before I knew it i was assisting with weddings.  I was hooked.  I love everything to do with them.  The romance.  The passion.  The stationery!  I planned events for a while, then life.  Like all of us, it can get in the way of our passion.  21 years later, I have off and on coordinated events and weddings, done crafting involved with them.  However now my sons are grown and I find myself looking at bridal websites, following trends and assisting more and more people who don't share the passion for detail i do.

Four years ago my husband Jeff and I decided that we would renew our vows.  21 years in, our sons were in high school and we had some life events that precipitated celebrating.  Needless to say i was lost in the throws of the planning.  My husband's family is Scottish by origin, so I decided that we would give a significant nod to that history.  We live in a small seaside town in South Florida, and had the party at the place we had our first date "The House of Refuge".

I loved my dress and really this was the prettiest I had ever felt

I also designed and made my bouquet

I loved the idea of the giant letters for our initials, and being

frugal, yes, I designed and crafted them myself

The House of refuge is directly on the Atlantic ocean and really, needs very litte decoration.  As you can see from the photo below,  the view is spectacular.  This is a historic site (a wonderful place for any kind of party, even more special if you have a little "history" yourself.   Often this is a very affordable option and so much fun for you and your guests!

This time, I decided I would go with a vintage wedding theme to match the venue.  I created and crafted the programs above and bagged the flowers to be thrown at the end. Crafting was a major part of this since I had a $5,000 budget, but I did it!!

Family was pretty important.  We decided to make it a white party, and I am so glad we did, it really did look good and had so much fun!

Now full time, because I wanted to spend time with my 2 sons, I am a high school teacher.  Never underestimate how talented these kids are.  I hired them to sing a special song for my husband (if you have seen Love Actually, it is from the wedding scene) and the band kids to play.  They were phenomenal! High schools are screaming with talent and worker bees, don't be afraid to hire them. 

The goal for this blog is to feed my soul, talk about current wedding and event trends and answer questions if I am asked.  Teaching at a public high school I need to be thrifty, so perhaps I can give you some tips and tricks that will help make your day special and yet affordable.  

Until next time..... Amanda