Weddings Redefined

First of all, why use lighting design for your wedding?  It creates a mood.  It can be virtually any color to match your theme.  It can hide ugly walls.  It creates ambiance and intimacy.  It is not very expensive anymore.  It's romantic.  It can save you money in other areas (flowers, perhaps).

I had a fantastic meeting last night with Paul, the owner of Boston Uplights.  He's really on the cutting edge of wireless lighting design.  He has a few innovations I'd like to share with you:

1) Wireless LED uplights.  He has a few different sizes to achieve a variety of lighting experiences.  But basically, these are lightweight, wireless and can easily placed around the room (and later moved if necessary).  He uses a single remote control to maneuver the color and strength of each of the wireless uplights.  It was amazing being in his studio seeing the room swiftly change color from his remote.


3) Paper lanterns.  Boston Uplights has a terrific innovative system for hanging paper lanterns in a tent or any venue that has a drop ceiling.  His system allows for swift setup (less $$) and amazing ease of adjusting the lantern heights.



These are terrific innovations for the industry.  Imagine taking a boring hotel ballroom and having candles dropping from the ceiling at varying heights.  So romantic, so intimate and warm.  And his price point is great.  The basic wireless LED system starts at $995, including staff for a night.  Because his technology is wireless and because he has intelligently thought about ways to make setup a snap, he can save clients a ton of money on the labor costs currently charged by other lighting companies, most of whom start at at least $1500.

And if the space doesn't have a drop ceiling (like our wedding venue), then we'll just have the standard uplights and the centerpiece uplights, though I'm confident Boston Uplights will think about ways to easily hang lanterns and candles from those venues in the future as well. I'll be recommending Boston Uplights to all my clients.

Like any good bride-to-be and wedding planner, I am an avid blog reader.  It's very satisfying zipping through blogs on my Google Reader while drinking my morning coffee.  I confess a guilty pleasure for Samantha Goldberg, who I'm sure you've seen on Whose Wedding is it Anyway? Sam has two blogs - but the one on the Bridal Guide is tame compared to A Day in the Life of a Wedding Planner.

Although I follow many more than this, these are my faves...

100 Layer Cake (pretty, pretty)
Hostess with the Mostess (fabulous, quirky ideas for entertaining - not just weddings)
Style Me Pretty (the ultimate wedding style blog!)
A Hot Pink Petticoat (inspiration from our neighbors to the north)
Blue Orchid Designs (I love Liene's approach to weddings and education)
Elegance & Simplicity (was eco-friendly before it was cool; love her simple design elements)
Earth Friendly Weddings (from the creators of EarthlyAffair.com)
So You're EnGAYged (the latest and greatest same-sex wedding planning site with my favorite feature - collated blogs from lesbian brides-to-be)

Favorite photo of the day - a DIY escort card project on 100 Layer Cake

Whose Wedding is it Anyway?

We are pleased to offer online booking and credit card payment for our elopement packages:  Destiny Platinum, Destiny Gold and Vows.  You can book one of these packages in four easy steps:

• Go to our Out of State Couples page and choose your elopement/small wedding package
• Click the link by the package price to fill out the booking form
• Complete the form and hit submit
• Check your email and click on the link it contains to pay the deposit by credit card

You'll then get a call from us discussing your wedding planning details!

When I am asked what my favorite part of a wedding is, my answer is easy: the wedding ceremony.
After all, as much fun as the party is, really it is just a party - and the day is truly about your marriage.

So, how do you make your wedding ceremony personal and uniquely you?  I'll start by telling some fun client stories:

• One of my first clients ever had a pagan wedding. The brides processed together, holding hands, into a recorded version of "All You Need is Love".  The guest chairs were set up in a circle and they greeted their guests during their processional.  There were four altars at which there were blessings.  There was a traditional handfasting ritual and the wedding concluded with a jumping of the broom!  The brides had exactly the ceremony they envisioned and it was perfectly reflective of themselves.
• Another pair of brides had a ceremony co-officiated by an interfaith minister and a District Court Judge/noted civil rights attorney.  Their deeply personal, handwritten vows included phrases like, "I promise to walk with you at sunset every chance I get" and "I promise to take you to Italy at least once a year."  They processed out to a live flute and guitar version of "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder.  Goosebumps! 
• Two grooms with a son had a dear friend officiate their wedding ceremony.  She came into Boston from California quite prepared but try as I might, I couldn't get the grooms to focus on writing their own vows (they had a lot going on in their lives!).  Even at the wedding rehearsal, they still had nothing scripted - nothing like the last minute!  The next day, the ceremony was flawless:  the grooms processed into a live "Trumpet Voluntary", holding their son's hand.  Their friend delivered a stunning ceremony script and the grooms presented before the other the most personal and heartfelt vows I'd ever heard.  There was not a dry eye in the room - and it was so clear why these two gentlemen were absolutely perfect for one another.
• This past fall, two grooms held their wedding ceremony in their gorgeous living room with thirty friends and family members (who had been drinking champagne and having nibbles for 45 minutes).  The 25 minute ceremony was scripted and delivered by a Celebrant who beautifully told the story of their relationship after asking them to complete individual questionnaires and spending quality time learning about their lives together.  One of the readings was from the book Giovanni's Room, one of the groom's favorite novels...
• ...and after that wedding ceremony, Jen was convinced that ours should be deeply personal and memorable and not faux-Catholic or a quickie.  We hired that Celebrant to officiate our own wedding.  I spent some time this morning answering three pages of questions about how Jen enriches my life and how we fell in love - and I can't wait to see what our ceremony looks like.

When planning a wedding, there are so many indulgent details to obsess over.  Jen and I have had so much fun over the past few months indulging in private, at-home wine tastings with potential wedding wines.  It's been great couple-bonding and has been a big obsession of mine (though certainly a fun obsession)!  Our wedding venue provides its own catering and wine list.  We took a look at the list, tried a few, were vaguely disappointed and decided to choose our own and have them order it.  We tried to say within the $10-15/bottle price point because the venue will mark it up 300%.  This has been a fun process...

Choosing the right wine for your wedding can be a wonderful theme-related detail.  For example, I had clients last year who had a travel-themed wedding.  Their custom-designed wedding invitations (below) were boarding passes.  Their table names were photos of places they'd been.  And so on.  The details were great, up to and including their red wine selection, Boarding Pass Shiraz, selected not only because it was thematic but also because they enjoyed the wine.

It's About Time is very pleased to be featured on the great new resource for engaged same-sex couples, So You're EnGAYged!

Congrats to two talented photographers, Kelly Prizel and Lara Swanson, for kicking off a great entrepreneurial venture - and best of luck in the new endeavor! 

We all know that same-sex weddings are a growing industry and it's important to look out for one another so we can provide the highest quality, compassionate, visionary service to our clients.  The wedding industry is still very heterosexist and resources such as this one are invaluable to couples struggling to plan their perfect day.

Weddings are great way to express your design philosophy!  What is your design philosophy?  Look around your home, in your closet, in your cultural background.  Since your wedding is all about celebrating you and your partner, then I urge you to have fun with a color or design theme.

Although there are other significant elements (like furniture, stationery and drapes), I think of basic wedding design in three main areas: floral; lighting; and tablescapes. 
If your wedding colors are not white or ivory, why settle for the standard white or ivory linens when you can really give your reception tables some pizazz?  It doesn't have to cost a lot of money.  Starting with the linen choices - your venue will likely provide the white or ivory but you can choose a different solid color linen (same general fabric) for about $15/table.  You can spend $60 or more per table if you choose a beautiful damask, pintuck or satin, but if you're looking to keep things simple and inexpensive, this is an easy way to go.

Table runners are very popular right now.  If you're crafty (or willing to try), I've seen some cute DIY ideas recently - these will give your table some contrast, sophistication and textural depth.  Runners can be made from discount fabrics, wallpaper or whatever your imagination will allow.  With fabric scissors, an iron and stitch witchery, you can make your tables pop.  There are also some really cute runners for sale on Etsy.com if you're looking for someone else's handmade designs!

If you have the ability to do so, beautiful tablescapes can also include crystal (instead of glass), silver flatware (instead of stainless) and interesting china. Chargers are another beautiful addition to a tablescape that can add some whimsy, elegancy or color, depending on what look you are going for.  I've even seen fun paper chargers/placemats (but I don't like to waste paper).  All of these can be rented at Be Our Guest, my favorite local source for these rental items.

Add to all this stunningly cohesive and complementary place cards and menus and you will have a gorgeous tablescape!

So, what am I doing to create beautiful tablescapes for my own wedding?  Well, our colors are navy, silver and white and our design aesthetic is contemporary (because the space is contemporary) with vintage throwback in the form of decor.

Start with the silver ballroom chairs, with white cushion.  We'll have solid navy linens and silver runners.  Add in the standard white china and glassware.  Our napkins will be navy tied with a modern, crisp silver napkin ring placed vertically across the plate.  Finally, we'll scatter a handful of crystals across the table for a little bit of opulence and shimmer.  No place cards and no menu cards (because we're doing our part to plan a green wedding).

And in another entry I'll tell you what we're doing for lighting and flowers...

Check out this article from the Hartford Courant.

Basically, the Connecticut Catholic Conference is asking the Connecticut legislature to allow discrimination by wedding vendors who don't support same-sex marriage.

We all know that marriage is a civil right, not just a religious institution.  The Catholic Church is perfectly permitted to refuse to perform same-sex marriages.  But now they are asking the legislature to allow discrimination by say, florists and wedding cake makers. 

This is why I'm in business - to protect my clients from having these difficult conversations, from hearing lack of support of their marriage, which is just as precious as any straight couple.  Believe it or not, as recently as last year, I've talked to vendors who were less than enthusiastic to assist, so naturally, I didn't hire them.

Check out this political cartoon from this week's Bay Windows:

The economy is hitting everyone hard.  It doesn't mean that your wedding design needs to be seriously compromised - we can still plan stunning weddings on a budget.  One trend we've noticed since the economy has gone south is that couples are still planning spectacular weddings - but they are inviting fewer people.  Since food and beverage are typically the mostly costly elements to a wedding, this can mean significant savings.

Some more cost-saving tips...

• Plan a winter wedding or a wedding on a Friday night or Sunday brunch - you may get vendor discounts (you should definitely ask!) and food and beverage minimums may be lower.
• Skip some of the stationery elements that are costly and wasteful for the environment.  This means: no favors (which are often left behind), no ceremony programs, perhaps a seating chart instead of escort cards, and you can even skip save-the-date cards.
• If you have guests who love to drink, consider an open bar with only wine and beer, plus perhaps one delicious signature cocktail.
• Have your ceremony and reception in the same venue.  Many places will not charge a ceremony fee (like a house of worship would) and you can save on the cost of limos.  Our wedding venue is a block away from our hotel so the hotel guests and brides will all be arriving on foot.
• Choose flowers that are in season when considering your wedding colors and floral designs.  In-season flowers are much less expensive (and don't have the environmental impact of those transported from around the world).  We are using hydrangea and peonies as the primary flowers for our early July wedding.
• Use lots and lots and lots of candles!
• Cupcakes are cute and quite inexpensive - sometimes as low as $1.50 each, instead of the $3.50/slice standard minimum for wedding cakes.  Still want a cake cutting?  Order a small 9" cake to cut!
• If you have an amazingly articulate, eloquent friend or family member who you would trust to officiate your wedding ceremony, they can do so for $50 with a permit from the state.  This is opposed to Justices of the Peace who charge $150+ and rabbis, ministers and celebrants who are often $500 or more.
• True DIYers can have fun with homemade centerpieces, handcrafted invitations and more fun DIY projects.
• Finally, I can't forget to remind you of two things: 1) if you're really stressed about money, elope! and 2) hiring a wedding planner such as myself can save you 10-20% on services like catering, photography, floral design and more.

Let me conclude by suggesting a few areas in which you should not cut corners in the interest of saving:

• Photography!  You'll regret it later if you do.
• Music.  I can help you find an affordable DJ.  The flow of the reception will be negatively affected by an Ipod.
• Your wardrobe.  I want you all to feel like the beautiful brides and grooms you are.  Be sure to feel 100% comfortable and beautiful in your wedding attire.

Invitations are tricky - so many design, font and printing choices. And they are so personal and can be the start of building a wedding theme. We had a hard time picking out invitations for our own wedding and after flipping through many design books at stationary stores and blinding ourselves on invitation websites, we decided to go custom.

In our travels, we found a fabulous designer on Etsy.com with whom we've been enormously pleased. The invites are not yet in hand but the process was remarkably simple with the help of Kristin from 622press.

Our invitations are being printed on a letterpress, the oldest (and in my opinion, most elegant) printing method. The content and design are literally pressed into the paper (in this case, 100% recycled cotton 110# cardstock).

Kristin has ours mostly done and sent us a photo tonight of how they look! We are positively elated...don't they look great?