Return address with flair

You're going to be sending alot of thank you notes. Rather than go with your standard return labels or pre-printed return address, consider a custom made hand stamp. I prefer hand stamp over self inking so that I can use different colored inks.



I tried ordering from some of the Recently blogged about and even highlighted in a magazine calligraphy stamp makers, and still haven't heard back from them weeks later. This one From LoveToCreateStamps.com had a proof to me in less than 3 hours, and I had my stamp in hand 4 days later. Oh, and it was less than $25.
You could also have custom stamps made for paper projects like your escort cards, welcome bag tags, candy bar bags, etc.


-- Posted from my iPhone "Because I'm always on wedding style alert."
Kelly McWilliams

A Thank You Note Station

Just a quick idea I had. Create for yourself a thank you station. Head to the office supply store and grab a filebox or craft supply store and grab a scrapbooking station. You're going to be using this for a while, so get a good one. I like the new ones that have hard sides and have handles. Also get a box of good pens and highlighters. Stop by the post office and load up on stamps. *Postage goes up in May, keep this in mind. Keep an updated guest list with addresses in the box, along with your stamps, pens, highlighters, post-its announcements and thank you notes. This is also a great place to keep all the congrats cards you receive. (tip: write what the gift was on the back of the card).
Want to really get ahead of the game? Pre-address your holiday card envelopes.

What wedding party gifts shouldn't be: The same.

I'm absolutely certain that this is going to make a few, or perhaps many brides scream a little. But I think I'll be able to make a good point if you hear me out. Your gift to the members of your wedding party is intended to be a thank you gift in appreciation for their friendship & support through your wedding planning, as well as a thank you for the financial considerations they've made in being a part of your celebration. Because your thank you is sincere, your gift should be as well. This gift should not be about the wedding. Rather, it should be a gift truly meant for each person. So tell me how purchasing all your bridesmaids matching jewelry, that you think compliments the dresses you've chosen for them and that you feel embraces the look of your wedding (again making it about your wedding)is a sincere thanks to each individual? Here's my thought. Buy each member a gift meant specifically for their personality and tastes. If possible, buy a gift that is something that you know they would love but never purchase for themselves.
Don't get me wrong; I adore jewelry as a thank you gift. Jewelry is exciting to give and receive. So for goodness sakes, give jewelry she'll want to wear again. And do what you can to make it personal so that each time your dear friend & bridesmaid wears it she'll think of that great time in your lives.

My fortune cookie said,"Something nice is coming to you in the mail"

Well of course I ran right out to our mailbox which is now located at:
2722 Skyline Blvd, Studio 3
Cape Coral, FL 33914 YEAH!

Alas, there was nothing exciting inside the mailbox. Maybe the nice thing that is coming will arrive tomorrow. So what could my something nice be? I'm hoping that I'll receive a note from one of our newlyweds. I love getting notes after the weddings. It always makes my day.

Did you ever consider getting some envelopes pre-calligraphed for your thank you notes? I reveived a thank you note the other day that was calligraphed. Wow, did I feel special. I'm pretty sure that the bride went ahead and added thank you note envelopes to her order of invitation envelopes. What a great idea right?
If you need a calligrapher: www.SarahHanna.com

I love calligraphy

However you will never catch me trying to learn it.
I absolutely love opening my mailbox and finding a true calligraphed envelope. Always a huge smile you will find on my face. It conveys to me that what is inside the envelope is special. So this year I decided that I would put some of my Starbucks Chai tea fund aside and get calligraphed 3.5x5 cards done for the holidays. They arrived yesterday and they are even more lovely than I had imagined. Rather than get envelopes calligraphed, I opted for flat cards that could just be placed underneath ribbon tied boxes. That way each recipient would be able to keep their beautiful names and place them in a small frame to use on their desks.
To me, calligraphy is an art form, and for certain arts- actually most, you need to have some fundamental talent. Handwriting is not my forte. Therefore I will leave it in the hands of Sarah Hanna.
Sarah (Toast & Tables), you're getting a sneak peek at yours.

My Friday

On Fridays during the summer I close the office. But I don't take the day off. It's the day I use to run around and get things done that I can't do from my office. Most of my work week goes towards meetings and sitting at my desk for 10-12 hours, so Fridays can be fun. Here's a visual of this past Friday. I left off a few photos because when I looked back at everything I actually did- it was crazy and I thought for sure none of you would believe me. Anyway, here's the highlights:

Left to RIGHT, Top to Bottom (not in the order I did them):
1. This is the new DVD wrap that I designed for a local photgrapher. I dropped it off to to her and found out she had a housekeeper. I am jealous. Anyway, they turned out really great. Get this- the dvd wrap includes a thank you note in the pocket. I thought that was a nice touch.
2. I was looking for one of those digital photo frames for a client. I found a great new source for candles instead.
3. I did a site tour for a new venue. Very cool outdoor space, great for a 50-75 guest wedding.
4. Stopped at Starbucks. I love to read "The way I see it's". They always seem to make sense.
5. That's me. Don't worry, I was at a stop light. But I am sure someone thought I was a lunatic anyway.
6. While looking for lanterns for SD's wedding, I found these fantastic fabric wrapped boxes with a grosgrain ribbon. I bought the store out of them. They'll make for great end of season gift boxes. Now I just have to think of what to stuff them with.
7. I worked on 3 wedding dinner menus and 1 dessert reception menu.
8. I updated 4 budgets and started 2 new ones.

It was a great day.

Lookie here...Woohoo...WIN some Telliegrams!

These have got to be one of the coolest new things I've seen lately. Totally unique, and downright cool. I also happen to like the fact that the designers name is Kelly. Turns out Kelly is as cool as her little boxes are and she's giving me a $100 Telliegram Gift Certificate to give to one of you! If you're a wedding pro, you can give the gift certificate to one of your clients as a gift or use it for your own business. Or if you're a bride, you can use the gift certificate yourself! My favorite is the lime green takeout box with the hot pink palm tree. Go figure.
To enter the contest, go to the Telliegrams website and find your favorite product. Then come back here, leave a comment with your name and your favorite product, and you'll be entered. You have until August 1st to enter. Want to increase your chances? Invite a friend to do the same and make a deal to split the gift certificate if she wins!

It's a win-win deal here- the coupon code above is good just in case you don't win the gift certificate. Be sure to enter though- someone has to win!

Momzilla

Yep. It has happened. More times than I can count on one hand. Moms and future Mother-n-laws who give more than 2 cents. More like $1.99. I kind of get why, and it almost...almost makes sense. As long as you've been dreaming of your wedding day- it goes double for them. So yeah, they want it perfect too. The problems usually arise when what you think is perfect, is most certainly not what she thinks is perfect. What's the best way to handle it? Play it it fair and be upfront from the get go. Invite the help where you do want it, and request where you don't want it. Really, you'll be so happy you did.

Oh, and when you ask your mom for help, make it special. Take her to lunch, talk it all out, and give her a nice gift. Emily Post just put out this new book, Emily Post's Wedding Planner for Moms. I think your mom and/or future mother-n-law will be tickled pink. Oh, and if you really want to impress her, show her that you got yourself the brides version. Even I use it- it does have answers to some tricky questions.

Some of my favorite spring '07 photos

Picture 1, Amanda. This photo was caught during a moment of outright laughter during the ceremony. The wind was coming at just the wrong direction and Amanda's parachute, ummm, I mean- veil proved to be a constant source of laughter through the ceremony. Fitting, because Amanda was the most hilarious client I have ever had. She really should go on a comedy tour. She had me in stitches for nearly a year. Photo Credit: Impressions Photography

Picture 2, Traci & Steve. Ok, I know everyone does this shot, but there was something about Traci & Steve when they were spinning about. They were totally lost in each other- and it totally came through in this image. Photo Credit: Julie Goodacre Photography

Picture 3, Jim showing off his newly adorned ring finger to friends. Ok, hands down, this is the most memorable shot and it is SO Jim. Jim was one of those grooms who came to his wedding excited to marry his bride and totally ready to celebrate his marriage with his closest family and friends. Susan & Jim's wedding was just down right fun. Photo credit: Gigi Hamlett Photography

Thank you fabo photographers for sending me images!

Custom Weddings

You all know that I am all about everything being custom. Every wedding is without a doubt different, but making that extra effort to be unique is what makes each wedding unforgettable. Lucky for us the next issue of Martha Stewart Weddings is focusing on customizing your weddings! I can't wait to get my hands on it of course. It will be on newsstands Monday.
This favor is one of my favorites ever. If you have time, you can make them yourself. Or, bring the photo to your local baker and ask for a quote- you might be surprised how inexpensive they can be. To customize them, order extra monogram stickers or seals with your wedding invitations and place them on the top of the box to secure the ribbon.

Return Address Fixer Upper

Here's a cool thing for every bride who will be sending dozens of thank you notes. This is such a steal at $29- and free shipping with the code MARCH! Woohoo! You can find this Embosser at Horchow
They also have a very cool collection of mongogrammed and personalized items.
Know what else you can do with this nifty little object? You can make "Our new address" cards to insert with your thank you notes.

Hi my name is Kelly McWilliams. I'm a wedding planner, I plan weddings for Brides & Grooms, and I'm addicted.

I can't stop. Yesterday I received a surprise in my PO Box. It was a thank you note with a nice gift from a previous client. A previous client from over a year ago! It had been "lost" in the mail all this time! Gotta love the postal service. Anyhoo, I immediately called the client and explained that it had just arrived and that was why I had never called to say thank you. It was good to talk to her again. Then I sat here for about 15 minutes pondering what to do with this thank you gift. Spa day? Nah. New outfit and shoes for the concert tomorrow? Nah. Take the hubby out to our favorite-yet-way-to-expensive-resturant? Nope. I flew over to the bookstore and loaded up on 5 wedding books that I have been dying to get my hands on. I just about cleared the shelf except for the "How to plan a wedding" books. I've got a small wedding library in my office and it just got a whole lot more inspirational.
P.S. Call me a dork if you want to; But I'm going to the Justin Timberlake concert tomorrow and I'm as excited as all heck.

The Newest Trend: Documenting your entire wedding weekend

Not all, but most of the weddings I get to plan are 3 or 4 days of events. Here's the typical line-up:
Usually the weekend starts with the rehearsal dinner, (Thursday)
Followed by a welcome reception (Thursday)
A spa day for the gals and a golf or fishing tourney for the fellas,(Friday)
Perhaps then a sunset cruise, luau, casino night, or the newest rage- Karaoke parties (Friday)
Then of course the wedding ceremony, reception, and after party (Saturday)
And then it all has to come to a close with a farewell brunch... (Sunday)

As you can imagine, there are just tons of memories to capture with all this fun stuff going on. In 2005 I started to notice that more and more of my clients wanted to have all their events documented with professional photography and videography. And really, it kind of makes sense. You figure, when else in your life are you going to have all the people you care about and enjoy the most spending the weekend with you doing nothing but fun stuff? I had a wedding weekend, and I would give anything to have a few really good photos from our welcome reception and video of our best mans speech. One of the neat things I've noticed about these weddings where we've had everything covered is that by the time you get to the wedding, the photographer and videographer visually "know" everyone, and because of that they get amazing shots during the most important 6 hours (ceremony-reception).
Here are a few tips if you're considering going this route:
1. If you're going to have your photographer cover all or few events, make certain that your photographer is a not only a good wedding photographer, but also a good photojournalist. A photojournalist doesn't ask for things to happen, they photograph what does happen and most important, they photograph unobtrusively.
2. Book the whole weekend at once. The last thing you want to do is call your photographer a month before the wedding to ask her to cover the casino party only to find out she's already booked on another wedding for that day.
3. Book the videographer for anything that's going to be big on sound and/or movement- obviously anything where there will be speeches, toasts, or bad singing (ha!).
4. Take advantage of all this documentation- share it. In addition to your wedding video, have the videographer create a 15 minute highlight dvd of the best moments from the weekend to give to your family and wedding party. You can also have your photographer send the videographer some of the photos to add to the video highlights.

One more thing, this is an "extra". Adding something like this can throw your budget WAY off. If you can't swing the whole weekend, maybe just pick one extra event to cover.

Awwww....

I can't help it. She just looks so cute. This is Emily, my 4 year old. She asked for Bride Barbie for Christmas. Weddings on the brain- even as a pre-schooler.