I am so excited to share my 101 new things to complete over the next 1001 days!  Not a ton of carry overs this time around but a few items that I loved so much last time that I had to do them again – namely in the For Others category.  Paying for someone at the drive through is way more fun than it might seem!

You can see my list here and my past lists here and here!

I plan to update my progress here on the blog at least once a month and first up this time around is 82. Launch new website!  Hoping to have my new site up with tons of new eye candy in the next couple of weeks.

Wish me luck and happy new year!

On this last day of the year, I wanted to take a minute to look back at 2010 and just some of the highlights.

On February 26, we welcomed our second daughter into the world!  Abigail Grace weighed in at 8 lbs, 10 oz, 20 inches long with blue eyes and brown hair – just like her mama!

Cakes for a Cause – a charity event I planned with Kasey from Bliss Wedding and Event Design that benefited the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s Operation Feed – took place on March 23, 2010.  Nearly 125 cake lovers attended the 2010 Cakes for a Cause Auction and helped to raise over $4800 or over 9600 meals – enough to feed 9 people for a year and more than double our original goal! We were also thrilled to be awarded Operation Feed’s Outstanding New Campaign for 2010 – an amazing honor!

(Photo: C Studios)

In April, we coordinated the wedding of Christy and Bryce – watch for this wedding to be featured in the premiere issue of Capital Style Bride hitting the stands January 11!

(Photo: Jim Decamp)

In May, we were honored to be part of Amanda and Keith’s wedding at The Lakes Country Club.  It was a reunion of sorts as Keith is the younger brother of Eric, a groom whose wedding we planned in 2009 and he and his wife Rachel were in the wedding party!

(Photo: Henry Photography)

We had a wonderful time at Kristin and Michael’s Fourth of July weekend wedding at German Village Guesthouse:

(Photo: Joysong Photography)

Katie and Grey were married on July 17 at Trinity Episcopal with a great reception at the Loft at Smith Brothers:

(Photo: Corey Ann Photography)

In July, I was proud to be a member of the founding Board of Directors of the Ohio Chapter of Wish Upon a Wedding – an organization that gives weddings to couples facing terminal illness and other life altering situations.  I am so proud to give my time to this amazing organization!

September 7th saw my little Ellie turn 3!

(Photo: Grogan Studios)

Julia and Angelo were married at Northbank Park on a perfect mid-September evening:

(Photo: Kitty Maer Photography)

Tess and John were married in her parent’s backyard in the rain – it did absolutely nothing to dampen spirits!

(Photo: Will Mederski)

Amy and John literally danced all night long (well, Amy did) at COSI in October.

(Photo: Minister Images)

We ended our season with Katie and Greg at the Columbus Country Club:

(Photo: Nicole Dixon)

Throw in corporate events, baby and bridal showers and my own family reunion and you can probably guess why I say 2010 was a busy, fun filled year!  Thank you to all the couples and families that we met along the way and of course, our incredible vendor partners.

I am looking so forward to 2011!  We are working with so many amazing couples and have some fun things up our sleeve starting with Cakes for a Cause 2011 on March 1.

Happy New Year!
Here is to 2011 being the best year yet!

-Emilie

Since one of the first things all you newly engaged couples should do is start working on your guest list, I thought this quick tip was especially timely.

One of my most asked questions with regard to the guest list is “Who do we invite from work?“  Usually it is a matter of the bride and groom feeling that if they invite one or two people, they will have to invite everyone in their office.  Well, I give you permission to let that feeling go!

The rule of thumb I share with my clients is that if you have had a coworker over to dinner or have been to their house for dinner (or have spent a significant time with them outside of work) then they likely belong on the guest list.  Everyone else is a “nice to include.”  Really.  I know that some of you are likely sitting there thinking I am crazy but unless you have enough room, you have to draw the line somewhere.  Co-workers who you don’t really care for is a great place to start.

The exception to this would be bosses who should generally be invited even if you’ve never gone to dinner with them or seen the inside of their house.

I am kicking off 2011 with 21 must includes for your Wedding PFA Kit!*** If you have a wedding planner, they should have a well stocked kit with them on the wedding day – mine is in a rolling case and has a packing list 3 pages long.  I could likely defend a small country from invaders with it and have only been stumped once in my 7 years of planning!  If you don’t have a planner, you should bring along a kit that can help to take care of any issues that might pop up.

Watch for a new item every weekday in January that will have you prepared for anything that might come up at your wedding!  Some will be obvious, some won’t be so obvious but all will be handy and things you should have on hand on your wedding day.

***What do you mean, “What the heck is a Wedding PFA Kit?” Some people might call it an emergency kit but I decided that Prepared For Anything is a much better name than emergency.  Call it semantics but I would rather be prepared for anything rather than waiting for an emergency.

We are looking for interns for 2011!  Our interns will learn hands on about the day to day operations of a boutique wedding and event planning firm. You will assist with the planning and coordination of our 2011 weddings and events including a large scale charity event in March as well as other charity work throughout the year. You will help to maintain and update our website as well as contribute content to our blog.  You’ll also learn how we use social media to connect with our clients and other event professionals.

Interested candidates should be hard working and creative with a willingness and desire to learn. We are looking for self starters who work well with limited direction. You should have strong writing and communication skills and be extremely personable.  Previous event industry experience is not required but a fantastic attitude is! We would prefer college Juniors or Seniors who will graduate in December 2011 but will consider any qualified applicant for the position.  Since wedding season is primarily summer/fall – you should be planning to be in Columbus for the summer.

Proficiency in MS Office is required and Photoshop is a plus. We will train on other programs including our floor plan software and WordPress. You should also have the ability to work remotely via virtual office.

Weekly office hours will be required however, as this is an extended internship running from January through at least October, the number of hours per week is flexible and as mentioned, some may be done via remote office. Some evenings and weekends will be required as needed for events.

Still interested?  Please send resumes and cover letters in PDF form to interns@emilieduncan.com.  Application deadline is January 7, 2011 and qualified applicants will be contacted for interviews in mid-January.

From my little family to yours, a very Merry Christmas – I hope that Santa was as good to you as he was to our family!

Emilie

(photos courtesy of Grogan Studios)

Vegas Baby!!!  (Sorry, I had to!)

Please welcome Juliet Douglas from Green Orchid Events, Inc. in Las Vegas, Nevada.

blog: The Vegas Wedding Planner
Facebook: Green Orchid Events
Twitter: Green Orchid

Why do you love doing weddings in Las Vegas?
The majority of my weddings are destination weddings (probably 8 out of 10). I think couples are more daring when they get married in Las Vegas – anything goes! It’s rare that we get couples who want a “traditional” wedding. They will always throw in a fun and unique element into their wedding day or wedding weekend.

What venues would you consider to be uniquely Las Vegas?
I think people now think of the Bellagio Las Vegas when they think of an elegant venue in Las Vegas. The Wynn Las Vegas is also definitely on the top of the list of venues that are uniquely Las Vegas. Because of the movie The Hangover, I’m sure Caesars Palace comes to mind as well.

What elements would you say really make a wedding quintessentially Las Vegas?
When couples come to Las Vegas to get married, a majority like to get photos at the world famous Las Vegas sign. Photos at the Boneyard (home to all of the old Las Vegas signs) are also popular.

Tell us about this perfectly Vegas wedding:
Amber and Bill were winners of our Wedding Day Coordination contest.  Amber is originally from Las Vegas and met Bill in NY where they currently reside. Amber wanted a wedding that was “Vintage Vegas” yet modern with all the glitz and glamour of 1950s Las Vegas.  No cheesy Las Vegas here! We had the wedding at the Red Rock Casino which is in Summerlin in Las Vegas and close to Red Rock Canyon.  Here are a few elements that made this SO Las Vegas:

We had it in a casino/hotel. But, Red Rock is off the Las Vegas Strip and super modern, hip, and trendy.

Showgirls greeted guests as they entered the reception

One of the best Frank Sinatra impersonators showed up and entertained the guests and guests did a showgirl “kick line” during one song.

Table names were frames of old Las Vegas casinos

It was a glitzy wedding that was reminiscent of old Las Vegas

Photographer: Chelsea Nicole Photography
Florist: Enchanted Florist

Anything else you want to share about weddings in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas really has it all! When couples plan weddings here, they have to plan for a majority of their invited guests to show. Do not invite 150 and expect only 75 guests to show up! Everyone wants an excuse to come to Las Vegas! There’s no need for babysitting your guests. They can entertain themselves with gourmet meals, fabulous shows, nightclubs, relaxing pools and spas, plenty of shopping, and obviously, the casinos. There really is something for everyone here. And if the Strip is not their cup of tea, we have the wonderful Springs Preserve, Red Rock Casino or Green Valley Ranch, or Lake Las Vegas.
________________________
Thanks to Juliet for sharing this gorgeous Vegas wedding – I really need to come visit you!

Pantone, THE authority on color, has announced Honeysuckle as the color of the year for 2011!

A lovely reddish-pink, Pantone describes it as:

“A Color for All Seasons
Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.”

Click on the picture above to read more and how Pantone sees it being used in weddings, home decor and more.  Seems like 2011 is the year to think pink!

I am willing to bet that at least some of the people who are reading this are newly engaged and feeling a little bit overwhelmed and unsure of what you need to do first.  Let me guess – you have seen the timelines, the to do lists and budgets that are all over the web, you have looked through all 47 bridal magazines at your local bookstore and are still feeling a bit lost.  Well, you have come to the right place and congratulations!  What an exciting time!

So besides the obvious first step -  calling (614.678.6320) or emailing (emilie {at} emilieduncan {dot} com) me – there are some definite do’s and do not’s when it comes to the first steps.  This is actually a collection of posts I wrote a while back called First Things First:

A is for Attendants
B is for Budget
C is for Contracts
D is for Date
E is for Eating
F is for Formality
G is for Gowns
H is for Hair
I is for Inspiration
J is for Jewelry
K is for Keepsakes
L is for License
M is for Mailing List
N is for NCAA, NBA, NFL, NHL and MBA
O is for Old
P is for Priorities
Q is for Questions
R is for Relatives
S is for Size
T is for Theme
U is for Unfortunate Monograms
V is for Vendors
W is for Wedding Planner
X is for eXercise
Y is for You
Z is for Zzzzzzzzs

And if you aren’t in the mood to open 26 different pages, you can browse the whole category here: First Things First.

Good luck and congratulations again – I look forward to hearing from you and helping you get started!