Could Captiva Island be any better of a backdrop in the dead of Winter?  Positively NO!  For Rebecca and Mike, it was a perfect place to start their life together.  Nate tagged along for four days while their families and friends joined them in a continuous celebration.  More fun to come…

It was no surprise that Courtney of Sweet Lucinda’s outdid herself for her son’s first birthday.  She has such an amazing talent.  The party was colorful and eclectic and perfect!  Check out some of these details!  Wonder what is in store for his second birthday celebration?

Whether you think you need one or not, it is without question a wedding planner can ease the anxiety of your big day, help negotiate vendor contracts, and design an amazing event no guest will forget.  We have had the pleasure of collaborating with Monica Richard, Master Bridal Consultant with Detail & Design, of many occasions.  We asked her the following questions:

…..

What is the single greatest advantage to hiring a wedding planner that may not seem as evident?
A wedding planner’s job naturally is to advise, guide and mediate the entire planning process for a bridal couple and their families to make the wedding process less stressful, more enjoyable and the day relaxing, but the greatest advantage is that this all happens, while the client is also saving money.

How are you able to please both the bride and groom, as well as their parents?
I ask all of the key players involved their three most important elements to the wedding day. I also ask they send these to me separately and without conversation among themselves. Seeing these responses I’ve learned the items vary greatly – some answer with tangible things like “an open bar is a must,” “I want X band” or “I must have yellow roses everywhere!” while others reply with something that costs no additional money to create – they may answer with “I want to use my childhood church,” “I love this song, it’s important to us, so I’d like to dance to this song” or “I absolutely want to include my dog in the service.” By having everyone’s “must have list” I’ve ensured we’re covering everyone’s needs, while exposing those needs to the other people in the wedding planning process. They now understand each other’s needs, which makes the entire planning process run more smoothly.

Do you have an ideal bride?
If I were to have “an ideal bride” it would be a client that understands no one involved with her wedding wants this day to be anything less than exceptional. She would embrace that idea entirely, and when asked her “three most important things to the wedding day” she gives her answers and innately trusts that every vendor and suggestion that has been presented to her directly goes back to her “three things” to happen for her beyond even her wildest dreams. She embraces ideas given by her vendor team, she thinks out of the box, and she trusts that everyone in the end wants her wedding to be spectacular for her, her family and their guests.

What do you say to those couples that think a wedding planner is an expense they cannot afford?
Very simply a bridal couple needs to understand this – it is something thay can NOT not afford. It’s as important as the venue, décor, photography and invitations. I often share with people the story of a client who’s summer wedding was planned to perfection – until… the source for all air-conditioning, refrigeration and water systems went out throughout a several block region of downtown Indianapolis, including the reception location. No central air, no refrigeration, no kitchen with water, no restrooms…. However, if you ask her over 225 guests wedding was exceptional! This would not have happened flawlessly had it not been without a planner.

What is your favorite part of the planning process?
I love the start of the planning process just after only venue is selected. From this point, we have a clean slate – and a palette full of colors to consider, ideas to try, and options to explore. In many cases we find something small may inspire the entire direction for the wedding. Recently a client said she wanted her guests to feel like she felt when she looked at a Monet painting… That sentence sparked something, and that painting, became the dance floor and inspired the entire palette for her luxurious wedding. Another bride talked about her dress and said it was “Bam!” “Bam!” became the catch phrase for the entire wedding and each vendor was told the story of the “Bam” dress and were encouraged to “bring the Bam!” to the client for consideration. The result was an out-of-the-box, fun and contemporary party – all inspired by the bride’s word and her willingness to explore everyone’s options.

What is your favorite part about the wedding day?
I have two. Just before the ceremony I share a few funny words with the bride to break the ice to help calm her nerves a bit. It’s after her bridesmaids have gone down the aisle, so usually only her father or the photographer witness it– just a brief moment between two friends.

The other is minutes before the guests walk into the reception space. Once the couple is married, I take the newlyweds into their reception and let them see the space for the first time… then require them to be left alone. It may be their only moments alone together the entire day. Their emotions surrounded by the beauty and quiet serenity of the space just “gets me” every time and it’s hands down, my experience of the wedding.

How are wedding planners misunderstood?
Wedding planners too often are misunderstood in two ways – 1) media and 2) by churches. First let me touch on churches. Sadly, there are people that have called themselves coordinators, that are not hired professional businesspeople that have really tarnished the image of wedding planners. They tend to be pushy and overbearing and frankly disrespectful to the churches. A wedding planner must remember this – a church or religious location is sacred and must be treated as such. On a wedding day, I am a guest in that client’s church – meaning I follow their rules, their guidance and their regulations.

The other way wedding planners are misunderstood is the media. I understand I have a fantastic, fun and amazing career. I also understand it’s interesting to others. That said though, it’s not just the moments of movies and television. It’s hard work, it’s long hours and it’s a profession – not something of celebrity.

How do industry memberships and continuing educational seminars bolster your services?
Wedding planners need to attend conferences, educational seminars and classes because it strengthens a planner’s base of knowledge for their clients. It beings new ideas, perspective and skill set to the table.

Every planner should not only belong to professional organizations including International Special Events Society (ISES) and Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) but be active. Any client interviewing prospective planners needs to not only ask about the planner’s organizational membships, but also ask about their level involvement. As Immediate-Past-President of ISES, and current board member. ABC fortunately makes it easy for a client to discern a member’s involvement. It has a tiered system of credentials based on experience and education. I am honored to be one of the first 50 Master Bridal Consultants in the world. This is the highest level of distinction.

I am also honored to be the founding president for the Indianapolis Chapter of Wish Upon a Wedding. Wish Upon a Wedding is the world’s first nonprofit wish granting organization providing weddings and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illess and and serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. This organization is entirely about giving back to the wedding and event industry that has been so giving to me for over a decade.

What are some trends you are glad to have seen pass?
Chocolate! …by this I mean, “chocolate and pink weddings,” “chocolate and pale blue weddings” and “chocolate fountains” at weddings. Mink, bark, coffee, mocha, russet, mahogany, and yes, even, chocolate – are all a stunning neutral color that I embrace entirely – however, there was a time about 4-6 years ago it seemed to appear in every wedding in our city. Yes, the weddings were gorgeous and beautiful, but now looking through photos, they all look quite similar and really resonate, “I was married somewhere between 2004 and 2006.” I enjoy working with interesting color combinations or unique threads of a (dare I say the word) “themes,” and I always include personal touches to weddings. During the “chocolate craze,” I think sadly that idea was forgotten by the industry and by couples as they planned their weddings.

What are some of the most exciting trends you see in the next year?
I often giggle at the term “trends” in the bridal industry – my thought is this … if I have a client include something unique and special in her wedding, my hope is that we are ahead of the curve, and therefore creating a trend. That said, here are two interesting things I’ve had clients do for their weddings, that I hope will resonate with others, and become a trend in the coming year.

First – interesting dance floors! It’s the largest single item in the entire reception space, and too often it’s just wood, or monogrammed through lighting. Recently I’ve had a client mimic their linen pattern on the dance floor in a pattern of black squiggles on a white floor. Another did large black and white stripes to mimic her invitation and stationery suite and another’s entire floor was painted with a reproduction of Monet’s Water Lilies.

Second – favors upon departure, NOT on the tables. Most weddings artfully consider their dinner tablescapes, including their favors’ placement. I enjoy surprising guests with little unexpected treasures. Most recently my clients have done this with their favors. I’ve had couples give each guest Hot Box Pizza breadsticks (their favorites) as each guest departed. Another had “breakfast” bagged beautifully and placed in each car by the valet company. A client’s Parisian proposal became the inspiration for the entire wedding. Upon departure, guests received a loaf of warm French bread, wrapped in baker’s paper with a tag declaring “Merci Beaucoup.” Favors are always the couple’s personal way of saying thank you to their guests – the presentation of these gifts should be as unique as the couple itself and NOT placed at each placesetting as entirely expected.

Our annual tradition…A VALENTINE’S DAY SHOOT.  This year we took our inspiration in a different direction, however.  We selected younger subjects for the first time.  We selected our three girls (Nate – Elin, Tiffany – Campbell, Emerson).  WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!?!?  Anyway, we thought it would be fun to play off of our brand with the square and circle.  Besides that, we had NEP tattoos made for the occasion!

Not that we didn’t know it beforehand but our dear children are not the easiest to work with.  It is highly doubtful that modeling is in store for any of them.  Thanks to Sweet Lucinda’s for providing the yummy cupcakes we held over their heads until the end.

Wishing you a day FULL OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS!!

Cassandra Stevning of  The Wedding Studio, helped bring several exclusive lines of gorgeous gowns to Indianapolis.   The Wedding Studio is a couture bridal boutique in Broadripple, featuring wedding gowns exclusively from the “Birnbaum & Bullock Bridal Collections”, as well as offering unique headpieces and jewelry from local designers. We have enjoyed collaborating with Cassandra in the wedding planning capacity on several beautiful weddings.  She has also outfitted several of our brides.

We asked Cassandra the following questions…

……

What are some of the biggest misconceptions a bride has when starting to look for their wedding gown?
The biggest misconception that brides usually have when they are first starting out is that they are going to buy the wedding dress that they have always dreamed of or visioned themselves in on their wedding day. Most of the time, once they start to try on gowns in the particular the style they have always dreamed of, they find themselves not really liking it. They are usually surprised to find themselves falling in love with a dress that they never thought they would like or that they would wear for their wedding. We always try to cater to the bride’s needs, but typically tell them to keep an open mind when they are trying on gowns because they just might be pleasantly surprised.

What are some of the hottest trends you think are here to stay?
For sure the strapless gown is NOT going anywhere, it is very flattering on most body types and girls always gravitate to that style. I also think that the traditional ball gown or “princess” gown is also here to stay. It also looks great on most body types and that is a style that girls have always dreamed about for their wedding day.

Are there designs that you think may make a comeback?
Lace and surprisingly ruffles are definitely making a comeback and girls are LOVING it, especially the lace!! Also, a designer that we carry at The Wedding Studio, Steven Birnbaum, gains a lot of inspiration from the French designer Yves Saint Laurent, most famous for creating the classic tuxedo suite for women in the 1960′s. This season, Steven’s collection has been designed around the woman’s tuxedo. He does an excellent job taking elements of past traditions and bringing them into today’s bridal fashion. His designs definitely have a little bit of a classic retro look adding many things like skinny belts around the waist line and pockets in the gowns which might have been things you would have seen 50-60 years ago in bridal fashion.

How does a bride interweave something special or significant into their look, such as an heirloom?
Many brides will add an antique hair comb from their grandmother or great grandmother to be worn in conjunction with their veil. It is a beautiful and very sentimental piece to insert to their look and you can never go wrong mixing antique with modern. Bride’s could also add a broach to their gown (if it is a simple gown) or to their bouquet if they have the florist ribbon wrap the bottom. I have also seen brides carry their grandmother’s handkerchief or wear a family member’s veil. Any pieces such as those can easily be interweave into their look and if it is special to the bride, they will make it work.

What are some common mistakes a bride can make relative to her gown?
I would say the biggest mistake for brides and their gowns would be having a gown that is not fit properly. When a bride orders a dress at The Wedding Studio, we always take their measuments to get them to the closest size that the designer offers. However, between the time the bride orders the dress and when the dress comes in, the bride’s body could have possibly changed a bit (fluctuating in weight, etc). It is really important to see a seamstress after your gown is in to make sure the gown is truly fit to your body. Even if you don’t think you need many alterations, the seamstress still may be able to re-work some areas that you didn’t think of or give some helpful tips as to how to keep you comfortable. It is always a shame to see a bride on her wedding day who is pulling and tugging on her dress or who is so uncomfortable that they are miserable the whole day.

Is there a ‘right’ dress for each body type?
I am not so sure if there is a “right” dress for each body type, but I think it is important for a bride to try on all different types of styles to see what fits her body type and personality best. That is why we encourage brides to try on a lot at first because what may look good on one girl, may not look good on another.

Isn’t it best to try to match your gown to the venue?
Yes, but more importantly the gown needs to match the affair. If you are having a black tie wedding, then you would definitely need a formal gown to match same as if you were having a very casual outdoor wedding. However, you could be having a less than formal cocktail wedding reception at a very formal hotel or venue. In that case, you wouldn’t necessarily need to match the venue, you would want to match the “theme” of your wedding.

What are the best ways to preserve and clean a gown?
Take your gown to a dry cleaner that is certified in “wedding dress cleaning and preservation” or is a member of “the association of wedding gown specialists”. These cleaners will give your gown the best care you can find, offering MusuemCare preservation.

Why did you get into the wedding gown business?
I have been in the wedding/event business for the past 15 years doing both event and wedding planning, however in the past two years, I have just been focusing on brides which I have found to be my passion!! I love fashion, working with brides and catering to their needs, so going into the bridal boutique business was just a natural progression. The Wedding Studio has given me that platform to see so many beautiful brides, but more importantly, help them find the most important outfit they will ever wear; I LOVE THAT!!