(Photo Credit: Sister72 Flickr Stream)

Hope you are spending today snuggled up with your valentine!

PS – if you are one of the 4 million or so people who will get engaged this Valentine’s Day and want to get started planning, feel free to drop us a line!

I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz

When I look into your eyes
It’s like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There’s so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you’ve come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?

I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up

And when you’re needing your space
To do some navigating
I’ll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find

‘Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We’ve got a lot to learn
God knows we’re worth it
No, I won’t give up

I don’t wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you’re still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn’t break, we didn’t burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I’ve got, and what I’m not
And who I am

I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up
Still looking up.

I won’t give up on us (no I’m not giving up)
God knows I’m tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)
We’ve got a lot to learn (we’re alive, we are loved)
God knows we’re worth it (and we’re worth it)

I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up

Now if you are having trouble picking which colors you like it can now be as simple as finding a great picture on Pinterest and clicking a button.  Sherwin Williams has a new (free!) tool called Chip It!

You just drag the Chip It link to your toolbar and then when you find that perfect color scheme in a picture, you click the Chip It button, mouse over your picture and your color scheme will pop up!  It isn’t perfect – calibration on monitors can be tricky but it is a good jumping off point for color schemes!

Mary and Angelika are a mother/daughter team who make beautiful bolero jackets and shrugs for weddings and special occasions.  They have different styles, sleeve lengths and fabrics as well as colors to pick from – I saw a gorgeous purple, black, yellow, couple of shades of blue, silver and of course, white and ivory!  Love the splash of color these would add to a bridal ensemble!

Pricing varies based on fabric and design but to give you an idea, the long sleeve satin jacket on the left is $70 and the silver silk dupioni design on the right is $85.  Each piece is custom made to your measurements so make sure you plan accordingly with regard to time before the wedding!

Mothers of the Bride pay attention – if you have your eye on a gorgeous strapless gown but want to cover up your arms (VERY common request from my moms), these would be perfect for you as well!

You could either grab a calendar that fits your theme or you could make one with your engagement pictures!  Shutterfly lets you start the calendar any month and year you would like so you could create one beginning with your wedding month!

Nowadays, we don’t see disposable cameras much because pretty much every guest at a wedding has a camera on their phone.  Those cameras produce MUCH better pictures than those throw away cameras but it can be a chore to get those pictures from guests after the wedding.

Flickr makes it easy to give your guests the chance to upload pictures to your Flickr on the fly!  Simply set up a Flickr account and go to this page to get your upload by email link: http://www.flickr.com/account/uploadbyemail/.  Print out signs to place around the reception with that email address on them so guests can upload pictures during the reception or distribute small cards to send home with guests to they can upload pictures after the fact.

Extra pictures at no cost to you and your wedding budget?  Perfect!

How different was your original wedding vision from your actual wedding?
Surprisingly, not much different! I wanted my wedding to be a celebration and that it was! Luckily, I had a great wedding planner to help me make my ideas a reality!

What surprised you most about the planning process?
What surprised me most about the planning process was how many little things you don’t think of until the week of your wedding! I feel like that week flew by the fastest and I wish I would’ve been a little more organized with what I needed to do.

What was your favorite part of the planning process?
I loved EVERYTHING! I had such a great time planning my wedding. Yes, there were stressful times but overall, it was great!

What surprised you the most about the wedding day?
How fast time flies by! Everyone told me that it would go soo fast and I kind of just blew them off. Let me tell me you—stop and take a few deep breaths and look around! Cherish every moment and have fun!

What was your favorite moment of the wedding day?
Seeing everyone at the reception having a blast! I wanted my reception to be like a big party and it was!

Finally, what is your best tip for future brides?
Make sure you know what pictures you want taken. Although the photographer asked, he did not get all the pictures I wanted. I would ask your planner to have a list and mark them off as they are being taken. Your wedding day is only one day and your pictures are so important!!!!!!

Thank you Ann for sharing – xoxo!

How different was your original wedding vision from your actual wedding?
I honestly didn’t have the picture of what my wedding would be. I grew up picturing life with a family, but I never had the “down the aisle fantasy” or a specific vision for my wedding. When we began planning, I had random ideas of what I wanted, but still no set idea. The end result was infinitely better – a combination of everything and everyone I love in one space.

What surprised you most about the planning process?
How many details are involved! I truly didn’t realize how many decisions you have to make (and trust me, I hate decisions!). Throughout the process, Emilie would remind me of things I needed to consider that I never thought would come into play.

What was your favorite part of the planning process?
My favorite part of the planning process was the cake tasting – not going to lie!

What surprised you the most about the wedding day?
I didn’t stress out very much the week of the wedding, so that morning I woke up worried about how things would flow, especially since rain forced us out of the original outdoor site. But, everything flowed so smoothly and went so quickly. Everyone will tell you that your wedding day flies, but it truly moves faster than you could ever imagine.

What was your favorite moment of the wedding day?
I had two favorite moments. Michael and I chose to do a “first look” before the ceremony. I am very traditional, so I was pretty hesitant to do this. However, I am also a huge bawler! I wanted to get any crying out of the way before walking down the aisle, so that I could actually get my vows out. Having the few minutes with him to get pictures out of the way and spend time with my soon-to-be husband before the ceremony is something I wouldn’t take back. It was so nice to see the look on his face and be able to share that moment alone before everything got into full swing.

What would you do differently?
I think, looking back, I would have started out with a planner before going to pick a venue. We started looking before we were engaged, and it was a bit overwhelming. We didn’t know what to ask and were a bit lost. Having someone that knew the ropes would have been so helpful.

Finally, what is your best tip for future brides?
My best tip is to form a team approach at the beginning. In getting our planner, my fiance, and our families onto the same team, things flowed so much more smoothly than I think they otherwise would. Emilie was knowledgeable as to what vendors had good reputations and produced high quality work, and that took a lot of stress away from us throughout the process. Do not try to take everything on yourself. Otherwise, you take away some of the fun of the actual process. Learn to TRUST other people to help make everything a reality.

Thank you Megan for sharing – xoxo!

My mother in law passed away on Friday, July 15, 2011.  That is her, my husband and Abby at my Abby’s 1st birthday party last year.

It wasn’t completely unexpected (she had been battling kidney cancer for nearly 2 years) but the end was very fast and very sudden.  We scrambled to get things together in Columbus so we could go to Cincy and say our goodbyes.  It was a hectic and very emotional time in my family, as I am sure you can imagine.

I sent an email to all my existing couples letting them know I would be out of town and out of touch for a while.  I also put an out of the office message on my email that stated very plainly that due to a death in the family, we would be closed until the following Wednesday.  When I checked my email on Sunday I was overwhelmed with the kind words and true concern that my clients showed to my family.  It was a wonderful validation that I have built an incredible client family.

I also had in inquiry from a bride getting married in 2012 that was sent late Friday night – note this was well after I put on the out of office message.  I responded to her, asking her for some information about her wedding.  She emailed me back the next day (Monday) telling me that I had “taken too long” and was unprofessional for not getting back to her immediately and that it was “my loss” for not being more attentive to someone as “important” as her.

Give that a minute to sink in.

Someone who hadn’t hired me, someone I had never spoken to, someone who was told via an automated email message that I was dealing with a death in the family told me that my response time of 2 days over the weekend wasn’t fast enough.  I wish I were kidding.

Needless to say, I did NOT respond to that email and I frankly pity the poor vendors who wound up working with her.

Why am I sharing this story?  Because sometimes the world needs to be reminded that wedding vendors are humans too.  We LOVE what we do but we often work weird hours (many wedding vendors take Mondays off since we work so many Saturdays) and we have non-wedding related lives that we have to tend to as well.  If a photographer doesn’t respond to your Friday afternoon email until the following Tuesday or a venue doesn’t call you back for a day or two or a baker takes a while to get back to you…cut them some slack.   You never know what might be going on in their lives – their mother in law might have passed away, they might be ill themselves, or they might have just rushed their spouse to the hospital.

After all, wedding vendors are humans too.

To brides: if your groom tells you that he doesn’t have an opinion on a color or flower or tells you that he just wants you to be happy, believe him!!!  He probably doesn’t have an opinion on whether your accent color should be plum or eggplant and would be happy with whatever you decide.  Also, don’t get frustrated with him – remember, to some guys, purple is just purple.

To grooms: if your bride asks you whether you like plum or eggplant and you have an actual opinion, go ahead and share it but don’t be afraid to tell her that you would prefer she make that choice.  Also, don’t get frustrated with her if she pushes for an answer – she just wants to know you care.

Happy planning and good luck picking those colors!

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