Happy Holidays!

I want to wish all of you dear readers a safe and happy holiday!

I will be signing off until the new year but I leave you with this yummy holiday cocktail recipe that is sure to keep you nice and warm!

Ingredients:
1.5 oz. SKYY Infusions Cherry
0.5 oz. white creme de cacao
4 oz. Hot Cocoa
1 oz. Half 'n Half
Whipped Cream
Maraschino Cherry

Blogs that are sure to INSPIRE!

I sometimes hate to admit it, but Milwaukee brides are a tad behind the times of wedding blogging and not to sound dramatic, but you are really missing out on some great inspiration. So, my gift to you this holiday season is a list of my favorite daily wedding reads, which is sure to bring you up to speed.

Pearls Events Blog: This blog is written by Aletha Vandermaas, a Michigan wedding planner, who really knows her stuff. What I love most about this blog is every week it includes a series called, Weekend Eye Candy, which showcases beautiful Michigan weddings and is proof that Midwest weddings can be fabulous!

Style Me Pretty: This blog is really the “it” blog for inspiration. It is updated multiple times a day and showcases many different wedding styles. I highly suggest visiting this website in the early stages of your planning to help you define your style.

Style Me Pretty has also introduced Style Circle, which allows you to create your own inspiration boards. I played around with it the other day and it’s pretty fabulous. You can upload your own photos or use ones that are already provided. It’s really simple to use and will help you to create a cohesive design.

Hostess with the Mostess: This blog isn’t entirely wedding related it but it offers some incredible inspiration. Their posts include recipes, real party themes and popular trends. It’s a really fun blog and will sure to get you thinking about design.

DIY Bride: If you are a crafty bride, this is the blog for you. This blog includes (unique and fun) do-it-yourself project ideas, product reviews, and recommendations for the best crafty products out there. Also, if you are in need of any last minute Christmas ideas, This DIY Bride book is awesome!

What other fabulous wedding blogs are you reading?

City Bride Style: Modern Calligraphy

Your wedding invitation (and envelope) is the first look your guests get into the fabulous wedding you are planning, so it needs to make a statement. One of the best ways to do so is to hire a calligrapher. Not only do your envelopes look gorgeous but they do so without writer’s cramp and hours spent next to a computer and printer.

I introduce you to Swoonoverit, a modern calligraphy studio.

Aren’t they beautiful?

I discovered Swoonoverit while planning our wedding and will forever be hooked. These styles are beautiful and like nothing I have ever seen before. They are perfect for the bride planning a modern wedding and are the gorgeous touch every envelope needs. Truthfully, I think they were designed just for City Brides!

Amanda is so talented and an absolute delight to work with. Her love for the wedding industry and her clients is evident in her work. The process is very simple and her level of customer service is stellar.

And, since I love bonus points, Swoonoverit also designs customized maps, signs, and tshirts. They are your one stop shop for all things hand written.

Ideas for a Winter Wonderland Reception

Milwaukee has recently been dumped with some snow, which inspired me to come up with some fun ideas for a winter themed wedding.

Warning: These ideas are for the couple who are true snow enthusiasts. Making any of these ideas a success will be a challenge and are dependant on many factors such as snowfall, venue and budget. Also, be sure your invitation is clear that guests should dress appropriately!

Sleigh Rides: Perfect for an intimate winter wedding. During cocktails or after dinner invite your guests to enjoy a quick sleigh ride. For bonus points, have hot chocolate waiting for them when they return to the party.

Ice Skating: This could be a really fun way to entertain your guests. Think about it, how often do you get to ice skate with all of your family and friends?

(Hm… you could even hold your ceremony on the ice!)

Snowman building: Go to a thrift store and gather winter accessories (mittens, hats, scarves, and sweaters) to be used to decorate snowmen. Encourage your guests to create the best snowman they can with the props you have supplied and give the winner a prize. Of course, you and your new husband are the judges.

Sledding: Yes, I know this is a bit extreme, but it’s perfect for a casual picnic style winter wedding. Provide your guests with all different types of sleds from your childhoods (or the local Wal-Mart) and let them loose. If the space permits, start a fire and cozy up with your guests.

Anyone else have some fun alternative winter reception ideas?

Let it snow!

Just so you know...

So, as many of you know, our website has launched this week. I am so very excited for what the future holds for City Bride and the Milwaukee wedding industry, but that’s not what this post is about.

I can’t sleep at night thinking about the Google search terms for “City Bride” and I need to set something straight. Our website is not www.city-of-brides.com, which is the first website that appears in the search. This is a mail order Russian bride service, not my beautiful website. I do not provide men with women that they can purchase for a wife. I design, plan, and execute fabulous weddings.

Thanks for listening, I feel so much better.

Tips for Toasting

Quite frankly, I have seen so many terrible toasts at weddings. You know, the ones filled with embarrassing college stories, rambling on and on and on about complete nonsense, and the ones that completely forget to even congratulate the bride and groom.

Today, I am setting the record straight and providing tips for giving a meaningful and appropriate toast.

1. Unless you are an incredible public speaker I don’t suggest you wing it. You shouldn’t write down your entire toast and read it from a piece of paper but you should take down a few notes to ensure you stay on track and don’t fumble.

2. Make it short and sweet, ideally less than 5 minutes. At most weddings there are many toasts to be given and guests sometimes have a difficult time remaining engaged if one participant carries on for too long.

3. A toast is not a speech. Your time on the microphone is not meant to share embarrassing childhood, high school or college stories. It is also forbidden to mention any previous relationships, no matter how relevant you feel it is to your toast. It isn’t.

4. Focus on the couple. The toast is not about you, it’s about the bride and groom. Face them when you are toasting and remember to congratulate them before you end your toast.

5. For bonus points, if you are the best man, tell the bride she looks beautiful. I just love that!


Happy toasting!

City Bride Style: Not the Average Favor

Favors should be viewed as an accessory to your wedding and not a necessity. If you are going to present your guests with a favor you need to “make it count” and if you can’t, then you should skip it all together.

Below are a few favors I found around the web that would be fabulous for a wedding and are sure to to be remembered by your guests.

This favor from Anthropologie is perfect for an outdoor or seaside themed wedding. It takes writing your guests a personalized note to a whole new level.

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These bowls were first introduced by Paloma’s Nest as ring bearer bowls but really can be used to store jewelry or any little trinkets. These favors are perfect for most wedding styles and would look beautiful incorporated with the table design.

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I love these reusable Chewing the Cud gift wraps, which are perfect for a green wedding. I could see them beautifully folded on the table or the wrapping for a box of truffles or other edible favor.

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Who doesn’t love letterpress stationery? I mean really. At each place setting (or in a basket somewhere) you could put together an assortment of different stationery and tie them with a beautiful ribbon and a thank you note.

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Any one have other fun favor ideas?

You're engaged, now what?

'Tis the season for proposals and on top of the gifts to buy, parties to attend, and cookies to bake you need to start planning a wedding.

I know you feel the incredible urge to immediately pick a date, buy a dress, create a guest list, choose your colors, and pick out wedding bands, but please for your sanity, take it one step at a time.

Whether you are planning a wedding in a year or 6 months the following tips will help you jump start your plans, without the added stress.

1. Share the news with your friends and family. Enjoy sharing your engagement story with them and soak in all the emotion and well wishes. This time goes by so quickly.

2. Determine your budget. This task is so important. It will allow for your planning to be less stressful and will help narrow down options for many aspects of your day. Also, get comfortable talking about your budget. Many vendors will ask your budget and telling them will really make the process of working together easier. Trust me, vendors don’t want to sell an idea to a bride that she can’t afford, but we don’t know unless you tell us.

3. Create a guest list. This task and determining your budget go hand in hand. Without a solid budget there is no way for you to determine the size of wedding you can have. If it helps, create guidelines for who makes the cut and remember to be consistent. It will make completing the guest list much easier. (check out the guidelines I used here.)

4. Choose the date. When choosing a date remember that popular months (read: June, July, August, September, and October) book quickly with talented vendors and also may be more expensive. This shouldn't deter you by any means, it just means you need to prioritize and hire vendors that are important to you first.

Happy Planning!

My wedding recap

I have been married now for almost 2 months, so I think it is time for a recap.

Since this could get rather lengthy I will just share with you a few highlights of the day.

As I was finishing getting ready, Molly and Monica said they had a gift for me and from around the corner came one of my brides from this summer. I was so excited to see her that I began to cry and seriously, it was the only time during the day that I shed real tears. I was so happy that we both could share our wedding days with each other. She second shot with Molly all day and it was a great gift!

Stylist grew up on a dairy farm so we spent the afternoon running around the farm taking pictures with tractors, barns, and cows. These photos are some of my favorite from the day.

The ceremony was by far my favorite part of the day. I was so excited to become his wife that I tried to soak in every word and emotion during that hour of the day. The feeling of standing next to him in front of all of our friends and family was like nothing I have ever experienced. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

For our reception entertainment we hired dueling pianos. It was Stylist’s idea and well he’s a genius! The entire show was request based which really got our guests involved and enjoying themselves. My favorite moment during the reception was when “Ring of Fire” was requested. My bridesmaids encircled me as we danced and one of the piano players jumped on top the piano and played the trumpet. That song will forever remind me of that moment.

For photos of our wedding check out Mthree Studio’s Blog. She did a fantastic job capturing our day! (Thanks Molly!!)

Thank you to everyone who helped us plan, execute and enjoy our wedding day!!!