What do you get when you put a cute couple on “Gateway Trail” on a Minnesota fall day?

A Nalie and Nate engagement session that makes you smile!

Why here? Nalie said “We often walk the trail when it’s nice out and we have a little time to spend together. We’ve had many great walks and explorations on this trail. Plus I knew the trees would look beautiful on the trail with all the fall colors. My sister Hlee is a talented photographer so she was the main photographer. She had another digital camera that allowed my sister Vickie to capture some more candid angles.”

“We wanted a few images for our Save the Date, however we kept pushing the date back and back. It just happened to be a nice day and we had just about an hour where we were all free.”

“We took tons of shots. There happened to be a moment where Nate was dragging me around just being playful. It turned out great for the design for the Save the Date we ended up choosing.”

{Nate & Nalie’s Save the Dates just came} I’ll reveal next week… They. are. COOL!}

“Nate and I both hate taking pictures! Somehow when we get in front of the camera, we forget how to smile naturally. To add to that, my eyes are camera shy, they always end up closed! So it was a little nerve-racking.”

I made an effort to try and have a regular conversation with him so he’d relax because he was feeling silly posing with my sisters watching…so cute! We definitely like the idea of candid pictures versus us posing with fake smiles.”

“I’m glad we decided to have this practice session. It gave us a glimpse of what to expect on the big day where there will be many more cameras and many more people looking and trying to get us to pose!

I Will have to work on keeping my eyes open!”

so. adorable.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Can you say this about your wedding planning? Effortless. Every detail is falling into place. I’m on time, on task and within budget.  My perfectly-behaved family members are a dream and I’m getting more for my money.

Hmmm. Don’t worry.  A perfect wedding planning experience is rare. Rare indeed.

Considering hiring a professional?

Ask yourself: Do I want to be the go-to person to handle ALL the issues that come up on my wedding day… technical, logistical, familial?  Or, do I want to enjoy the day and leave the stress to a professional, experienced in just this area?

Meet the delightful Mary {Bumblebee} Pokluda, owner of Bumblebee Personal Assistants ~Minneapolis.  I met Mary at a networking luncheon and she was kind enough to spend some time, sharing with me her expertise and answering my myriad of questions regarding the profession of Wedding Day Coordinator {WDC}.

About Mary A consummate professional, Mary has turned her passion for organization and helping people into a thriving business and most recently, toward helping brides realize their vision on their big day as a Wedding Day Coordinator.

“I have personally been in eight weddings as a bridesmaid and ended up being the WDC in six of them. I like to make the bride’s day special and stress-free by handling all the details for them. I love that I am able to do that as part of my business now.”

What does a WDC do? A WDC oversees the wedding day according to the bride’s wishes: from acting as her personal attendant, to managing every aspect of the ceremony and reception, to the safe-keeping of the gifts, to cutting the cake, making sure everyone is on time, to mediating with family and managing vendors… A WDC is a highly detail-oriented individual that keeps the bride’s best interests in mind at all times. The WDC’s experience and ability to make quick decisions help to serve the bride and help the bride get the wedding of her dreams.

What is the biggest advantage to hiring a WDC? The biggest advantage a WDC brings to the bride, groom and families, is reducing the stress on the wedding day! The WDC takes care of all the expected and unexpected occurrences that pop up throughout the day. The bride and her family will be allowed to sit back and enjoy their special day because it has been entrusted to the competent WDC.

“It has been my experience that the bride will also discover just how much goes into the day and will be surprised and overwhelmed at the things she didn’t think about.  She is always extremely glad that she made the decision to get a WDC.”

Finding and interviewing the right WDC The best resources to finding the right WDC is through word of mouth referrals and scouring local wedding blogs.  The bride should find that the WDC is easy to contact by phone, email or text. The bride narrows her choices and sets up interviews to ask lots of “what if” and “what would you do” scenario-type questions. The WDC should be experienced and a member of a professional organization. The bride should trust her intuition and look for a positive connection and comfort level between herself and the WDC.  The bride should have full confidence in the choice of WDC she will make. Personality is a must as the WDC will be interacting with your guests and family members.

The Initial Consultation with Mary:

• Go over the wedding day time line
• Create a To-Do list for set-up of each venue.
• Mary asks for a list of family members and friends assisting with wedding duties so if they have questions they can consult the WDC on behalf of the bride.
• The bride is asked to explain her wedding day vision in detail… everything she wants her wedding to look, sound and feel like and how she wants it realized. Mary will make absolutely sure she understands exactly what the bride wants and needs!
• Mary gets the contact info for all of the other vendors involved and will also ask that the bride give the other vendors her contact info too. This is to ensure that on wedding day those vendors can come to Mary with their questions or needs.

“Because I will have thoroughly gone over your wedding day wants and needs with you, I will be able to make decisions on your behalf and in your best interests.”

What can the bride expect from her WDC? Communication! Communication!! Communication!!! The WDC should follow up and touch base with the bride on a regular basis and confirm the wedding day agenda two days before the wedding.

What if the bride has done MOST of the work? Great! Now let her enjoy the fruits of her labor by having a professional handle all the details on the day of the wedding. If something does go wrong, the bride doesn’t have to troubleshoot-that’s my job.

What does planning and communication look like between you and the bride prior to wedding day? Initially, we’ll need a couple of hours during a consultation to: go over the wedding day vision, create the wedding day timeline, get vendors and family contact information. As the wedding gets closer, there will be calls, emails and texts to firm up details.  The day before the Rehearsal Dinner, we’ll finalize the details and approve the timeline/agenda one more time.

How soon after engagement should a bride begin looking for the right WDC? Six months before the wedding and up to 3 weeks before the wedding.

What are the qualities of an excellent WDC? Confident. Available. Approachable. A good listener. Asks questions. Flexible. Honest. Proactive.

What About Fees? It really varies depending on WDC services and their experience. Often packages are available or a per-hour rate is charged depending on in what capacity the WDC is hired. This often makes them more affordable than wedding planners who often take a percentage of the total wedding budget.

What MUST be in the contract?

• Hours of services
• List of services requested by bride
• Fees
• Cancellation policy
• Last minute changes

WOW. Thank You for all the great information Mary! If there is one thing I could do-over regarding my wedding… it would be to hire a Wedding Day Coordinator!  Oh how I wish I could have diverted all those issues {mostly familial} to a professional.

Brides, if you are considering a Wedding Day Coordinator to help you on your BIG DAY, use this interview to set the bar when interviewing and finding just the right WDC for you.

Got questions? Mary would be happy to answer any questions you have regarding her services or the WDC profession in general. Feel free to call 612.532.6152 or email Mary@BumbleBeePA.com.  Visit her wedding services page here or her main site www.bumblebeepa.com

Cheers to professionals and stress-free wedding planning!

What if van Gogh had been commissioned to paint Save the Dates?

Ever wonder about who’s behind your favorite designs and works of art? It’s so interesting how an artist uses the world around them {past and present} as influence and inspiration.

Meet 5 of our Graphic Designers from MagnetStreet Weddings.  Here they are with their November “Designer’s Choice” Save the Date designs… which btw, is the place to go for the hottest, newest designs every month. Read… about their inspirations, fav’s… and how they design Save the Dates and Invitation ensembles with the bride and groom in mind!

From classic to quirky, if you feel like you’re resonating with one designer in particular… check out all of their designs.  It’s fun.  And, it’s a great way to search the wedding stationery gallery.

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Lindsay…

I tend to look to wedding trends for  inspiration, but normally it’s an item or an image that inspires me. November’s design was inspired by a birthday card my husband got. I loved the three pictures on it with background text.

My fav color is blue. or purple. or orange (lately).   I like vibrant and contrasting colors! But, I also want the colors to be easily changed.

My fav candy is Reece’s peanut butter cups. I prefer flats, country music and I’ve never met a veggie I didn’t like. Toy Story {our “first date” movie}and Cars are my favorite Pixar movies.

Artist I’m inspired by… Da Vinci… Madonna on the Rocks is just COOL.

Think Lindsay rocks? Check out ALL of Lindsay’s designs here.

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Lori…

I look at the popular designs and see what brides are talking about or searching for. Then I do some googling and come up with my inspiration from looking around at colors, flowers and pictures.

For November’s design, I saw that several of our most popular designs were those that had swirls in them. Light blue & blue-green color with brown is still a popular combination and works well together. I also played around with this design using other color combinations such as pink and lime green and this also works well. I decided to mix my swirls with some subtle lace and cross-hatching in the background to bring a fun dimension to the design.

My favorite part of a wedding is when they announce the couple as Mr. & Mrs. and they walk down the aisle, and then again when they arrive at the reception.

My favorite artist is Linda LeKinff.  Black is my favorite color and my fav song is “Your Love Never Fails” I love Hersheys with Almonds. Flip-Flops. And prefer the country to the city.

My favorite movie is The Twilight Saga! And yes, I have my tickets for the midnight show of New Moon.

Resonate with Lori and her fun, whimsical design’?  Check out ALL of her designs here.

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Jen…

I usually find a design or color palette that I become inspired by and then twist it to make it my own.  For November’s design, I saw a pattern that I really liked~ thick stripes with a script font so I replicated that and made it a more masculine design with a feminine touch.

My favorite color is pink.

Favorite artist Slava Brodinsky.

I love… Christina Aguilera.  Butterfingers and Twizzlers and my favorite Pixar movie is Toy Story.

If I could, I’d wear flip flops every day of the year.

Favorite part of a wedding... the toasts and the cake!

Love Jen’s style? See all of her lovelies here.

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Ryan…

My mind is always focused on thinking of a concept that hasn’t been created yet and tapping into it. In the meantime, I like to skim through graphic design books, magazines and advertisements for different typography treatments, color combinations and visual effects. The inspiration is all around us.

Inspiration for November’s design This is from a painting from 4 years back of me and my girlfriend. Since we are still dating today, I figured the painting stands as a good testament of love and friendship…the two most important qualities of a marriage.

Fav Band: The Killers. My favorite Killers’ song changes once a week. Right now, I’m fixated on “I Can’t Stay”

I’m very inspired by 1960’s – 70’s album and poster art.

See all of Ryan’s masterpieces here.

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Robin…

I like neat, personalized items~characters and signs… that really utilize the Design Studio tool and I think that are fun for the customer. So, I usually start with something that I would like to see my name or face on.

For November’s design I noticed that we did not have any Zebra-print Save the Dates and animal prints are in style.

Favorite color Light Blue

Fav musician Ben Folds

Favorite artist Rene Magritte.

Favorite PIXAR movie The Incredibles.

I like Reeses Cups. Sneakers. And the country {just no farm animals}.  I’m least likely to ever eat snow peas and my favorite part of a wedding is socializing with old friends.

Like Robin’s “wild” design? Well, there’s more… right here.

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Tell me… which designer do you resonate with the most?

How do you LOOK AMAZING in the wedding dress you love and in the body God gave you?

It’s about embracing {uh, working with}your imperfections and celebrating your assets! And, it’s about choosing the right style of gown that fits your body type!

Easier said than done? Let’s… look to a pro: Wedding dress designer Amy Jo Tatum, Amy Jo Tatum Bridal Couture and author of the fantastic blog Bride Chic has written an excellent article entitled 411 on Body Types {excerpts below} on how to choose the right wedding gown based on your body type.  “Target your flaws then minimize or camouflage them; always, always heighten your assets.” {Amy Jo Tatum}

The Petite Bride

If you’re petite and in shape, you can wear just about any gown as long as you scale down to the right proportion. Choose a bodice and neckline that draws the eye up to your decolletage. GO FOR… a gown with a panel or seams running up the front. The unbroken lines give you height. Empire waists are one of your best options considering you go floor length. A v-neck or u-neck gives the impression of a longer neck.  GOWNS to CONSIDER: A Mermaid. An A-line. Sheath and even gown silhouettes.  Best proportion is a floor length gown with veil or train of same length. Prints and laces, motifs should be scaled down and worn on the upper portions of your body. Busy designs below the waist draw the eye downward. Soft and sheer fabrics like crepe and chiffon that drape to the body.  PASS UP: Any ball gown. Heavy elaborate fabrics. Wide belts, sashes {if you must, go thin}. Any design with puffy sleeves. Any train longer than a sweep.

The Tall Bride

You’re a lucky duck cause you’ll look good in just about any style. GO FOR: Sheaths and evening gown silhouettes. Shrugs and boleros.  Ball gowns.  You can go all out and carry off all those beautiful back details: florals, bows, big and intricate bustles, heavier fabrics, wide belts etc.  PASS UP: bouffant hair-do’s and high headpieces. Victorian gowns with high necks and long, tight sleeves. Long panel trains. Flats or ballerina slippers if your hem is above the floor and your feet are long and narrow.

The Full-Figured Bride

GO FOR: Any A-line or princess style flatters with their vertical lines moving upward. An empire waist {plays down a thick midriff and hides big hips and bottom}. A ball gown {as there’s a determined waistline and the voluminous skirts hide the tummy, bottom and hips, focusing on a nipped-in waist. Low, wide necklines. Consider the scoop, sweetheart, keyhole and V-neck, all of which emphasize your cleavage and decolletage. Long and fitted sleeves, preferably in lightweight fabrics to make your arms look slimmer. PASS UP: Any gown with massive embellishment. Go for clean lines and fabrics like crepe, matte satin and shantung. Pass up any weighty fabrics like brocade or velvet that add bulk in the folds and seams as well as heavily beaded laces and organza’s. Pass up shiny fabrics like satin. High shine equals volume. Pass up: Mermaid, evening gown and sheath silhouettes: all too form-fitting. Three-quarter length and big puffy sleeves. No shoulder pads or off the shoulder necklines. Full-figures usually have broad shoulders and arms and this neckline adds volume there.

The Short-Waisted Bride

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GO FOR: Empires waists.  This style hides the natural waist and focuses on the bust and neck area. An empire can have slim or full skirts.  Go for: Sweetheart or V-necklines. They lengthen your bodice and extend your neck. Go for: High necklines like jewel and turtlenecks. Go for: Vertical lace patterns and prints. Make sure the pattern travels upward. Go for: A-line and princess style as they flatter for the reason there is no defined waist. Fitted through the bodice, these styles taper down to a full skirt. A trapeze or tent style. PASS UP: Any detail that points to the waistline such as, wearing a gown that has a natural waist, a veil that ends there or any gloves or sleeves that are three-quarter length. Any lacy, ruffled or tiered designs.

The Pear-Shaped Bride

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GO FOR: Off the shoulder empire. Concentrate on extending shoulders outward while concealing or minimizing hips. The idea is to match hip proportions with shoulders to create an hourglass.  Any top that extends the shoulder line like bateau or Sabrina neckline.  Portrait collars. Consider a tailored look with padded shoulders like a long coat dress. A suit with a full or A-line skirt is another option. Any tailored look with shoulder pads will even out your silhouette. Dropped or basque-waist ball gown. The skirts hide full hips. Just remember to coordinate the top to your proportions as well . . . Sabrina or off the shoulder.

Great stuff! Thanks Amy Jo for sharing your expertise! Read the rest of this article here plus lots of others on topics such as: veils, fabrics, custom and eco-friendly gowns and more!