Yes, I used an exclamation point in the title because this is a big deal – to be honest, I am stunned.  Priscilla of Boston has announced that they are closing their boutiques and all their dress lines will be retired.  This includes all bridal gowns and bridesmaid gowns from Priscilla of Boston, Jewel by Priscilla of Boston, Platinum for Priscilla of Boston, The Dress by Priscilla of Boston as well as Melissa Sweet, Reverie by Melissa Sweet and the Vineyard Collection.

So what does this mean for brides?  It depends on whether you have placed an order or not.

*If you have already ordered a gown from any of POB’s lines.  You are fine.  POB is going to fill their orders and make sure that their customers are taken care of.  If you have any questions, just call the bridal salon you ordered from and don’t freak out!  POB has said you will still get your gown!

*If you had your eye on a gown from any of POB’s lines but hadn’t ordered.  Sorry but you will not be able to place a custom order for any gowns – this includes brides and bridesmaids.  Keep in mind that there will likely be a flood in the consignment market of sample gowns from different bridal salons looking to get rid of their sample gowns.  Lucky for Columbus locals, we happen to have an AMAZING consignment shop right in downtown Worthington called LuxeRedux.  They happen to be our neighbors!  Give LeAnn a call and see if she can’t help you.  Also, keep an eye on their online boutique – good chance some gorgeous gowns from POB will be popping up soon!

For more answers, Priscilla of Boston has a list of FAQs on their website.

Personally, I am saddened by this news – I have had brides over the years wear POB or Melissa Sweet and they were lovely dresses with beautiful detail and styling.  I have a bride wearing a gorgeous Reverie skirt next year and I know how excited she was when she found it.  The bridal industry is losing a jewel with the closing of Priscilla of Boston.

If you attended or worked with us at one of our weddings this year or were at Cakes for a Cause, you might have seen my wonderful interns in action.  Now that we have a little break in our season, I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to them so if you do see them, you can say hi!  I am thrilled to have them working with me and so proud to introduce them to you:

Huge thanks to Alison at Grogan Studios for these pictures!  Thank you also to Stacie from Pearls and a Black Dress for making us look good!

Name: Becky King
Major: Strategic Communication
Can’t live without: Friends…and ice cream!
Dream vacation: A trip to Paris!
Why did you want to intern in events: I love seeing ideas come to life! Weddings are such a great example of this. All of the work that goes into planning – the details, meetings, and phone calls are all worth it when you see how happy the bride and groom are!
Favorite part of a wedding day: The moment between the bride and her father before they begin walking down the aisle.
Biggest surprise about weddings: How casual the groomsmen and groom are. They are always joking around!

Name:  Laura Oeters
Major:  Human Nutrition with a minor in Business
Can’t live without:  My cell phone…and my family! {Emilie’s note: Diet Coke too – she’s an addict!}
Dream Vacation:  Any place that’s gorgeous, exotic-looking, and a beach where I can relax!  I’m addicted to the ocean and the soothing sound of waves.
Why you wanted to intern in events:  I love the detail-oriented aspects of event planning as well as making other people happy by creating and putting on an event just as they dreamed it might be.  Seeing the start-to-finish of event planning is also pretty gratifying and I did a few things at Ohio State that made me realize all of this about events.  I thought an internship would be the next best thing to keep learning about events and planning and to see a lot of different kinds of things.  So far I have not been disappointed! 
Favorite part of a wedding day:  When the groom see’s his bride for the first time.  He always looks so elated, humble, and lucky and it usually makes me a little bit emotional…!
Biggest surprise about weddings:  Seeing the wide variety of things people show up wearing!  Some weddings have had a mix of guets in t-shirts and blue jeans (eek!) and in stunning dresses and suits.  I just always feel surprised to see all the different things people wear to the same wedding!

My site and email were down today (January 10) from somewhere around 9 am to 3 pm!  If you sent me an email during that time and I have not responded to you, PLEASE resend it!

Sorry for the inconvenience and hopefully technology will be much nicer to me tomorrow.

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.

Emilie Duncan Event Planning will be closed Monday and Tuesday, October 4th and 5th.  We will return all emails and phone calls on Wednesday, October 6.

Have a lovely beginning of the week!

Well, hello there!  Long time no see – I have been a bit busy loving on our newest addition and getting ready for a little event called Cakes for a Cause!

Well, Abby is doing beautifully and Cakes for a Cause was last night and a HUGE success!  My dear friend Kasey and I co-planned and hosted the event at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank to benefit the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s Operation Feed. We are so proud of how the event turned out – everyone had a great time and we raised a lot of money for a great cause!

We are still tallying the final donation but it looks like we raised $5000 or 10,000 meals!  Our original goal was to raise enough to provide every meal for a family of 4 for a year but we managed to raise enough to feed 9 people!  How cool is that?

Believe me when I say that Columbus has some seriously talented bakers and confectioners!  Here is a little sneak peek of the room and a few of the cakes – can’t wait to share more when we get them.

Kasey and I won this cake in the silent auction and served it to all the attendees – don’t worry, we kept the top layer and a few strawberries for ourselves. 

If you missed Cakes for a Cause 2010, trust me when I say that Cakes for a Cause 2011 is going to be even more sweet!

Images courtesy of C Studios

You know you haven’t been updating your blog enough when your mom calls to tell you she was looking at her Blogroll and noticed you hadn’t updated in a really long time.  I have a good excuse – between my wonderful clients, Cakes for a Cause and getting ready for this baby, I have also been working on blogs for other people!

Today, I was featured on The Stylish Planner.  The lovely Jeannine gives a good idea of how we met (and yes, the story is a long, but funny one) and we are Twitter friends as well.  She asked me to talk a little about managing pregnancy while maintaining your style and I was completely flattered!

Click here to read my post on maternity fashion tips!

And if you haven’t put two and two together – I am pregnant with Ellie’s little sister and will be delivering any day.  I will be on maternity leave for about a month once that happens but still checking my email and voicemail from time to time.  I look forward to introducing the newest addition to our family very soon!

Thanks to Jeannine for the opportunity to share my maternity tips with your readers!

I know the mastermind behind Sage Wedding Pros, Michelle Loretta, through Twitter and have always loved reading her blog – it is full of great information for wedding professionals of all kinds.  When Michelle emailed me and asked me to contribute to a series for the new vendors in the industry – I was thrilled!  She asked me for the top ten things that I wanted new planners to know – the things that no one tells you when you are first starting out.

I get SO MANY emails from girls who want to be planners and are looking for internships or part time positions with Emilie Duncan Event Planning or want advice on getting started.  Quite honestly, I get so many emails and phone calls that I don’t have time to answer all of them so the chance to get this kind of information out there was appealing to me.  Based on the comments, it hit a nerve with other planners both new and experienced – I hope that is opens some eyes and thanks again for Michelle for the opportunity!

Click here to read my 10 Lessons for New Wedding Planners

Along with my dear friend Kasey from Bliss Weddings and Events, I am thrilled to introduce Wedding Skills Workshop!

Wedding Skills Workshop is a new way to learn and interact in the Columbus area.  Kasey and I both agree that we have outstanding networking associations in the area but wanted more in depth and directed education.  We hope that other vendors will join us in raising the bar and taking their knowledge and service levels to new heights!

Please visit The Wedding Skills Workshop’s blog to learn more about our first offering: The Floral Rescue Workshop.

This workshop is perfect for photographers, catering managers, banquet managers, on site coordinators, videographers, wedding planners and coordinators – basically anyone who comes into contact with the bride and groom and their flowers will benefit from this hands on, intensive workshop.  We are limiting this workshop to 10 participants so everyone has a chance to learn and ask questions.