Have you thought about the mom?

Most times, one mom is a very prominent figure in the wedding planning and execution. Usually it's the bride's mother, but for my wedding, it was my mother-in-law. She helped with the food, the finances, and the planning. Since I joined my husband’s family’s church, his family was a huge focus in my wedding.

My mother – she purchased her dress, my sister’s dress, and showed up – and was happy with it. BUT… thinking back, I feel she was left out of my big day. I mean, she was in pictures, she was there, she joined us in everything, but she was like a shadow… not a big voice like my in-laws were.

There are many ways that you can make sure you remember the “quieter” mother, and while browsing Etsy.com, I found a really nice pendant:

Five Little Owls, Etsy.com

They also have one that says “the woman of my dreams”.

This is a great gift to give to the mother at the rehearsal dinner, or during a special quiet moment before the ceremony. You of course can give this to both mothers, and the shop also sells keychains if you want to honor the dad in the same way. 

Next week, I’ll have photos from our Adoption (Gotcha) Day party.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Until next time! 

Props for mom to be

So I'm hooked on something new. For those who don't know, I crochet. A lot. I have so much yarn, I need my own storage area. But today I instantly got hooked on another craft - Maternity sashes.

I'm also a hobbyist photographer, so I love photos and props. I heard someone talking about these sashes, and started checking them out. The one below is from Couture Baby Headbands on Etsy.

Cute idea, right?
I thought I'd try some of my own:

I think they came out rather nice! 

I've also made one for a baby boy and a unisex one. If you'd like to order it, I now have my own Etsy page! LesliesCrochet!

Until next time!

Budgeted teen birthday party.

So I've been pretty quiet. I've been busy with so many other obligations that I haven't been able to post.
But here I am, with pics and ideas for a teen birthday party!

I threw a 17th birthday party for my daughter this weekend. She understood that because her birthday is right after Christmas, it's a little difficult to have a huge bash... but we were going to do what we could. So I hit Pinterest for ideas for cheap food. Here is some of what I made:

Macaroni and cheese bites. They were delicious! To make, use your own baked mac and cheese recipe (or google one), and crush some crackers and add butter (I used Ritz). Spray mini cupcake pan with cooking spray. Place a small amount of cracker mixture in the bottom of a mini cupcake pan creating a small crust, add a pinch of cheese, add mac and cheese mixture, cover with a pinch of cheese. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. 

Cinnamon apple poppers use five ingredients - cinnamon, sugar, butter, apples, and crescent roll dough. Roll an apple slice in crescent roll dough, brush with butter, add cinnamon and sugar. Bake according to the crescent roll dough directions. 

 Sorry this is blurry - these are chili cups. Mini phyllo dough shells, fill with hot, cooked chili, add a pinch of cheese. You can also ad a dab of sour cream if you'd like.
Here's where I got the idea from, but I didn't make this chili... Two-alarm chili cups

Southwestern egg rolls - here's the recipe:  Southwestern egg roll recipe
This is the third time I made these, and they never disappoint! You can add chicken or beef and they're great as well.

Banana sandwich bites - skewer a mini Nilla wafer, banana slice, and another wafer onto a toothpick.  Drizzle with melted chocolate. 

My daughter wanted blue and purple as her colors, and we decided to have fun with mustaches. My oldest daughter made the cake and the white chocolate candy mustaches you see in the picture below:

For favors, I went to the dollar store for the bubbles and mints (which were a hit!). I found the mustache keychains and notepads from Oriental Trading Company. 

I also purchased some photo props from Oriental Trading Company for them to ham it up:

All in all, I'd say the teens had a good time, and I didn't have to spend everything I had for them to do it!

Let me know if you have any questions about anything posted! 

Until next time!

 

Wedding Planning Myths

So as I was browsing sites, I saw the theknot.com - everyone's go to wedding site (don't lie, you know you go to The Knot) has a list of 10 wedding planning myths for brides who want to plan their own wedding. I thought I'd post a few here, because these are ones I definitely believe:

Myth #1: Hiring friends is the same as hiring wedding vendors.
Just because your friend is a fantastic fashion or photojournalist, doesn't mean you'll get the same results on your wedding day. For example, an experienced photographer knows how to shoot a mix of photojournalistic action shots (getting ready, your first dance, exchanging vows) while also capturing all the must-have family and bridal party photos. Same goes for the other categories like flowers and music. Look for local vendors in your area for leads, and if money is a concern, just be open and honest about your budget from the start. If you really can't afford a vendor, ask them for recommendations of lower budget professionals with a similar style.

So, so true! If you don't care, then great, save the money. HOWEVER, if you care about how everything turns out - and you value your friendship - you will try to hire a professional vendor. But if you can't afford a vendor, then HIRE your friend. HIRE your friend. Why do I emphasize that? Well, let me tell you why this arrangement usually goes wrong - 

YOU! Yes, you. The person getting married who is asking your friend for a favor. You abuse your friend. And you don't realize it. You expect your friend to do for FREE what you won't pay a vendor to do. You expect your friend to go above and beyond what a vendor would do. A professional wedding photographer will give you a set amount of PROOFS, and certain printed photos. You will ask your friend to give you ALL the photos, and not think anything of it. 

If you need to hire your friend, make sure you get a contract beforehand, and treat them like a business first, a friend second. 

Myth #4: A wedding planner is too expensive.
Here's the deal: Not only can a wedding planner help keep you organized and suggest incredible never-been-done ideas, but a wedding planner can also end up saving you thousands and keeping you on track with your budget. Many planners work closely with florists, rental companies, and other vendors and often have access to industry discounts, which they can pass along to you! Not a bad deal, eh? Even if you can't afford a full wedding planner, look into hiring a day-of planner (to take some of the wedding day stress off of you) or a wedding coordinator who can give you vendor recommendations before you start planning.

I am an inexpensive planner. I can give you a good deal, and if you really can't afford a planner, I can point you in the right direction. Lots of planners will do this for you. Call us.

Myth #5: Going DIY will save you money.
Make no mistake -- DIY isn't always the cheapest route. Unless you have unlimited access to the supplies it takes to create your own stationery or flower arrangements, the cost of these items alone is really going to add up (not to mention the amount of time it takes to create invitations for 100!). Do your research before you start buying paper and flowers in bulk to make sure it wouldn't be worth your while (and sanity) to simply hire someone else to do it.

DIY is expensive. And time consuming. Please follow this advice. Please. 

Myth #7: You have to take out a second mortgage to pay for a wedding.
Listen up -- there are easy ways to save money, so don't start your marriage together in a terrible amount of debt. It's all about setting your priorities. Maybe you've always known you want a designer wedding dress, a venue with a view, or an amazing bouquet. Make a list of your splurge items, and then look for ways to save in the other categories.

Please women, STOP letting these vendors tell you that their services cost so much! They mainly charge that much because they are hoping that brides won't think about the budget. One tip I gave a bride - call a transportation service and tell them you want a limo to go out for a night on the town, just you and your boyfriend. Four hours, dinner, movie, pickup and drop off at home. Find out the price. Then call the next day, tell them you want to hire them for a wedding. Same four hours. 

If the price goes up, you don't want to use their service. Shop around. 

If you want to see the rest of the tips, go to www.theknot.com.

Until next time! 

Why you need a wedding planner

So my website (low budget) is up and running. I hope you do visit it - it will be updated very shortly!
Find it at we-doevents.com.

Today I went to the optometrist and had my wedding magazines with me. At the receptionist desk, one of the ladies was interested in what I was reading. After talking to her a little, I found out that she's getting married in June, and guess what... no wedding planner!! Tsk, tsk!

I understand that part of the excitement of getting married is planning your wedding day. Looking through all of the magazines, choosing decorations and favors, and going to cake tastings (yum!). But as the bride-to-be in the optometrist's office told me she found - there's lots of hard work involved as well!

If you want to do all the work yourself, that's fine. I understand - I like doing it, too (or I wouldn't be in the business)...
Anyway, the one thing you should realize is - although many brides try, there's not much you can control on your wedding day. You WILL be stressed if you try to coordinate your wedding on the day of. YOU are supposed to be enjoying your union with your best friend, NOT worried about whether the flowers are the right color, the cake has arrived on time, or your Aunt Ruby is at table 4 or at table 6. Let a planner do that. A "day of" planner - a good one - will sit with you either a few weeks to a month before your wedding to talk to you about your perfect plans and how you want them executed.

Also, DO NOT get a family member. Your cousin Leah may be great at planning, but is that what you really want to use her for that day? Allow your family to relax and enjoy the day with you, not work for you.

Don't let price deter you from planners, either. Like me, there are other inexpensive wedding/event planners out there that almost any budget can afford. You can also add day of planning into your budget. Search for a reputable wedding planner that will offer you what you need at a price you can afford.

As soon as my business cards come back, I WILL be passing it on to the receptionist I ran into today. She'll definitely need it.

Welcome!!

Hello, and welcome to my new blog!

Here, I will talk about event planning, such as:
Bridal/baby showers
Birthday/Anniversary parties
Weddings
Bachelor/Bachelorette parties
Dinners

I will also talk about my triumphs and shortcomings as a planner, and add photos and updates of my events.

Hope you enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!