Pisstivistidy

Happy Friday,

On yesterday one of my friends (oh after SHOWING UP 30 minutes late) met me for wing night! After getting over a moderate level of pisstivistidy....I was able to sit down and have normal conversation. My thing with ALL people is...we all have things come up unexpectedly but can we give those we are meeting a simple heads up text...phone call....something? As adults, let's not ignore, avoid, or act as if someone's time or money is insignificant because that ish is Rudeboots! Ugh Ugh Ugh had a day today with a "friend" lol

Anywho....This friend yesterday asked if I had anything coming up and I said nothing confirmed. There is always talk of needing help but sometimes people don't follow through with a contract. Wellll from this conversation derived me helping out with a small graduation party. Invitations have been given out but some of the loose ends need to be tied up and that's where I come in. It'll be small, intimate family and friends....cookout style celebratory dinner for a lady that is very dear to my heart that graduated from Strayer. It's never too late to go back and she proved that to the WORLD! Kudos!!!

I'll be helping with the rentals...doing the legwork! I'm happy for the contract!

~Kisses

TeN commandments

I was watching one of my all time fave WE tv shows...."Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta" and Lori did a cute little 10 commandment's episode....figured I'd share here. Lori says the most 'countriest' things... always referencing sweet tea, wolves and sheep, and what she determines to be lady like. She's a keykey...you should watch sometimes!!! Many of her commandments referred to wedding dress shopping but I also see general rules of thumb for the entire wedding process!

10. Thou Shalt Keep The Bride's Eye on the Prize
Some bride's can be easily overwhelmed and distracted. Whether it's the phase for a salesperson or wedding planner...always be able to bring the bride back to reality. Bride's see it all, want it all, begin to cry, want to scream....sooo unless you want your hard work to fall by the 'wayside' you better fine tune ways to minimize distractions.
9. Thou Shalt Not Let The Bride Over Shop
Dear Wedding planners and salespeople...it's so totally important that the couple is aware of what they are spending the ENTIRE time! I work on the no surprises method...clients prefer it! The honest truth may hurt BUT it's the honest truth!
8. Thou Shalt Keep An Open Mind
When you're so totally sold on things you've seen in a magazine or on a website, you seldom like much of anything else! What you see on someone or done for someone may not be the right fit, so start with what you want and work from there.
7. Thou Shalt Leave The Past Behind
Relying on garments, stationary, or venues from your past wedding is NOT the way to move into what God has for you in the present and future...
6. Honor Thou Mother And Father Up til a Point
Yes we should listen to our parents...honor them even...BUT sometimes it's important to be respectfully clear and tell them the budget and ask them to stick to it. Parent's make you invite people you don't know and can sometimes make you spring for the premiere package when deluxe was more your speed. Find the balance....
5. Honor Thy Bride's Opinion Over All Others
It's hard sometimes when other ideas make better sense...but above all else it comes down to what the couple wants! When it concerns the dress the bride is going to wear...the decision is left up to the bride ONLY. Not parents or friends...
4. Pick Thy Wedding Posse Carefully
OMG...you don't want your wedding participants fighting like cats and dogs or making your event more stressful than it has to be....you want people that are team players and understand the wedding without a hitch is the goal.
3. Thou Shalt Not Bring Thou Fiance's Ex
Umm so this was solely based on an appointment during the season...lol The new bride brought the old more attractive ex girlfriend to her wedding dress appointment...like where they do that at? The ex girlfriend didn't like ANYTHING the bride tried on...and kept saying little comments like I know he won't like that on her...I remember when we were together and blah blah blah, he don't spend money like that on blah blah blah...So rude!!!! Umm yeah if you're friend's with your fiance's ex that's on you, but don't let that person dictate your wedding plans.
2. Thou Shalt Not Covet A Dress Outside Your Budget
If you're pulling dresses for the bride, don't pull dresses significantly out of the budget range! Remember they still need alterations, undergarments, shoes and jewelry and if you bust the budget completely open on the dress, something else will lack. Luckily for the groom, if all of your groomsmen rent from one place, the grooms tux is free and free is everyone's fave price.
1. Thou Shalt Leave Thy Fiance at Home
Now this is a matter of preference...but Lori believes no rooster's in the hen house (had to double check that I had that correct lol). Men can sometimes steer the bride away from the vision she had for herself trying to please him....so unless the groom is totally sold on whatever you want and less frequent with his opinions is he welcome in my opinion.

~Happy Born day to my wonderful 13...Miss Joy Marie Johnson! Oh how I love her so, God is so good for bringing her into my life-she's super busy because she's this grand MIT engineer in heels but the times we're together are just perfect!!!

Super Fly & Love Bug

KnOW-it-ALL...

Lovies,

Everyone knows a know-it-all…matter of fact, you may be the KNOW-IT-ALL! Take some time, process it before deciding if that’s true lol. My mom married a know-it-all, he can tell you about other countries and has never stepped foot outside of the US. There are others that will argue you down over a music lyric, movie line, or even a body of work in reverse chronological order for an actor leaving you wondering why it was THAT serious!

Read some popular superstitions I was SURPRISED to run up on today…feel free to comment on the blog with some of your own!

1. Hey, brides, tuck a sugar cube into your glove -- according to Greek culture, the sugar will sweeten your union. (Really? Wouldn’t it melt and get sticky?)

2. The English believe a spider found in a wedding dress means good luck. (Ahh not if I just picked it up from the cleaners…)

3. In English tradition, Wednesday is considered the "best day" to marry, although Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for health. (Soo what is Saturday?)

4. The groom carries the bride across the threshold to bravely protect her from evil spirits lurking below. (I’ve heard of this one…)

5. Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition! (Yeah….Yeah Yeah…heard of this one too but I heard rain is good luck because it WASHES away old sin, problems, issues and allows you to start with a pure slate)

6. For good luck, Egyptian women pinch the bride on her wedding day. Ouch! (Less makeup to make the cheeks rosy I presume?)

7. Middle Eastern brides paint henna on their hands and feet to protect themselves from the evil eye. (It’s soo beautiful too)

8. Peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds instead of rice. (HATE this idea....frozen ones would be the equivalent of marbles...and cooked peas would be a smashed up mess)

9. A Swedish bride puts a silver coin from her father and a gold coin from her mother in each shoe to ensure that she'll never do without. (Cool..I've heard of a silver coin for something but this doesn't sound familiar)

10. A Finnish bride traditionally went door-to-door collecting gifts in a pillowcase, accompanied by an older married man who represented long marriage. (All about collecting some gifts…let me just tell ya)

11. Moroccan women take a milk bath to purify themselves before their wedding ceremony. (Right cool…like going to a spa and having a Swedish massage and a milk wrap or something…one in the same…maybe?)

12. In Holland, a pine tree is planted outside the newlyweds' home as a symbol of fertility and luck. (My mom and her husband did this…but I thought it was to watch the tree as a symbol of your marriage…i.e. the tree grows, sheds, wilts, refreshes as your marriage does in different seasons…I like it and would want to do it)

Traditionally…you should always wear something new::something borrowed::something blue!

HaPPens ALL the time...

Sometimes, it can take even the most pleasantness of couples a longer than expected time to agree on a venue location! Don’t be fooled into procrastination people! The bride of course, wants the “perfect location” and the groom wants the cheapest deluxe special. The best way to begin the process is by brainstorming and then jotting down which amenities are most important. Once you have a working list…visit places by web or in person to do your research. With gas so high, I would rely on the web and phone a lot, it’s not necessary to drive to every single venue when they don’t even cut the mustard.

Discuss, negotiate and decide on a place where both of you will love. If you can’t see yourself celebrating at that particular place, move on! Determining your guest number is key to this step. Are you inviting close family and friends or is it everyone you both know? For some, that decision alone is the difference between 200 people! The number of people a venue can accommodate will most likely knock them out of the running, so deciding this FIRST can be imperative!

How much are you willing to spend? Right…you knew that was coming. Some may even want to put this as step ONE! Decide on a firm number and stick to it with EVERYTHING you’ve got. The budget I use is % based per category…so if you want to go over budget on your venue which I don’t recommend, there are some other things you’ll have to trim down on to avoid breaking the bank. Negotiate the cost (doesn’t work out too often though lol) but you can always try to finagle a little something something. I’ll also rent from other companies if things are cheaper…don’t let a venue sell you on renting EVERYTHING in house…believe it or not, it’s sometimes cheaper to shop around…more stressful sometimes, but cheaper! Realize if you want something bad enough, you CAN spend the money…but don’t curse out your planner as if you didn’t realize it was over budget later <-HAPPENS ALL THE TIME lol. As mentioned before…changing the day of the wedding from a Saturday is almost always CHEAPER-so keep that in mind.

After visiting and possibly speaking with on site coordinators and general managers, choose which venue is best for your budget and situation. It’s important that you don’t try to keep up with the Joneses-by doing so you almost definitely ensure you’ll have less money to go around on other important ticket items. Like FOOD…CAKE…PHOTOGRAPHY…LINENS! A BEAUTIFUL venue isn’t so nice when you can’t afford to fill it with anything! There has to be a second level of evaluation sometimes after you’ve went through your original list! Don’t get wrapped in the “I’ll know when I see MY venue and I’ll know it’s my perfect location!”… Ahhh unless you are budget-less or at least $50K in the game, that feeling isn’t always automatic and shouldn’t always be expected. Don’t get wrapped up in the dream of it all. At this stage I use a laundry list of items that I need to ask and critique…I review the list of things included in my rental fee as well. High on the list is the inclusion of tables and chairs…missing tables and chairs is a lot to organize with a separate vendor.  Fully equipped kitchen is like second on my list…Dance floor is like third because some people like to get down and essentially believe a dance floor is the celebration! I consider location/drive time from the church, as well as parking when I’m narrowing down a venue!  

I saw these SUPER AMAZING BEAUT FAB venues today while surfing the net! I fell totally in love with both!  Of course they are in Cali but I'm keeping the hope alive!

~Kisses





PreGAME…

Hey dudes and dudettes...

Typically a pregame is a gathering of like minded individuals at a specific location to congregate together in good fun, maybe eat or drink, and then car pool over to the end location…does that make sense? Lol hopefully that definition wasn’t lost upon anyone, I do have a way of writing things more confusingly than I intended. Lol I absolutely LOVE a pregame and have been a part of many many pregames at people’s houses, hotel suites, and restaurants or bars. More times than not, there is alcohol and perhaps guests partake in just a few celebratory shots and cocktails in celebration of the night to come!!! Honestly, it’s really just fun to spend time with your friends in a relaxing setting and get in the chill zone…after all this pregame location is far more intimate and you’re expected to participate in casual conversation with this smaller crowd. I’ve developed some cool relationships with people at pregames…it’s the advantage of having time to introduce yourself and have a conversation instead of simply speaking or fighting to speak over the deejay later at a club. Actually the last two pregames, I went to the pregame portion and slipped home instead of downtown…lol Learning new people is interesting, I’m always surprised at what I have in common with people I’ve never spoken with. I’ve even witnessed Love at pregames lol Oooh pregames…lol

Following that same idea (kinda)….wedding pregames are tremendously cute! When you require your wedding party to arrive 3-4 hours early to dress in one location and take pictures at the hotel or church…they don’t ALWAYS stop for breakfast or lunch. People rush although they knew what time they had to be there for a year! How cute is it that you host a pregame for your wedding party, musicians, parents, custodians, Pastors, makeup artist etc.? Of course, restrict your menu to nothing that is super messy (although a good planner has a tide pen on deck) but little treats they’ll appreciate and are filling. Crackers, cheese, veggies, fruit, sandwiches, bagels, muffins, water, clear soda or juice!! Sorry y’all…no meatballs, wangz, buffalo chicken dip or the like because a stain will ruin your outfits! IDEA (JUST IN) I guess you could provide a huge plastic crab bib for the more risqué items…lol If you’re really brave and trusting…oh and if it’s not at a church….you can include alcoholic beverages for them. I wouldn’t advise encouraging anyone to over drink before your wedding…but cute lil cocktails to lighten the mood are usually a big hit. Lil items with your names and dates…lil umbrella drinks or themed drinks! A wedding pregame further let’s your wedding party know that you care and appreciate their time and MONEY they spent to be you in your lil celebration! DETAILS DETAILS DETAILS make people feel they are a part of the best wedding yet. When you take just a bit more time to fine tune the particulars, you get the best performance from those involved in your wedding. Trust me….it’s all worth it!

~Meeeeeeee

Selfish SALLY's and SAM's...

Soooo

ohhh my freaking gosh...the importance of RSVP'ing! I feel like I've already blogged about THIS before, but instead of doing the due diligence and going through past blogs, I'll just write another one! lol Like HOW SELFISH CAN YOU POSSIBLY BE? Someone has invited you to their event to celebrate with them and they've asked you to do something as effortless as give a Yes or No...and you can't make the time? SIMPLE COURTESY is overrated I see! Your lack of response causes so many issues that trickle trickle down and the saddest part is those issues can be avoided!

So what does RSVP mean...for starters, it's french!! "repondez, s'il vous plait"...which means "please reply". I  move that we add into that meaning..."Please reply NOW if you care at all and if you don't the heck with you and don't expect entry into my celebration"...too much? Well it might get a response a lot quicker and that's the idea. Etiquette (which is super lost among most people) states if you receive a formal, written invitation, you should reply promptly...perhaps that same day. Umm I'll give you a grace period and say 1-2 weeks! Hosts that are planning dinner parties, weddings, receptions,  reunions and other celebratory parties...need your Yes or No from a practical point of view.

The same people that don't reply are the first people to make comments like, "I mean we're crammed in here like sardines" or "how you going to run out of drink in the first hour"....complaining sirs and maams, how dare you say anything about anything considering you didn't reply just like your other non-rsvp'ing counterparts!!!! Your kind didn't give the host ample information to plan accordingly...thus your discomfort! Evite, punchbowl, etc make a response super easy by the click of the mouse and some allow you to reply inside your own email without going to the official site...you have no excuse! When formal invites come, they come with a self addressed envelope or even a phone number to simply call and you're still dropping the ball people...it's really time for people to gather some respect and be more responsible. RSVP!!!!!

~Angry at people that don't RSVP (if you can't tell) lol

3312 PhOTOs

Greetings,

Hope everyone is doing fantabolous!!! Just wanted to share some pictures FINALLY of the March wedding! Hope you enjoy...