Showing posts with label Paisley Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paisley Events. Show all posts

Sunday, July 15, 2012

10 Things To Do Once You Are Engaged


First, a Congratulations is in order! This is not only a special and unique time in one’s life; it is also a somewhat hectic and whirlwind process. However, do not worry! The lovely interns here at Paisley Events are here to help you so that even in the moments after you say yes and the ring is slipped on to your finger it can be as stress-free as possible. You should be able to just relax and enjoy this special time and not worry about all the planning and let that to-do list get out of control.

Therefore here is a list of the top 10 things you should do as soon as you get engaged.

1. Get A Manicure
You have this new sparking, absolutely stunning accessory adorning your left hand now, and its guaranteed to attract a lot of attention here in the near future. Whether it is from the attention of all of those around (“Oh, let me see that ring!”) or the numerous pictures to be taken in the near future, it is important that your hand looks just as nice. You would not want to embarrass yourself with chipped, and unpolished nails. Therefore you should get a manicure, regardless if it is from a professional or an at-home polish, to make sure that your hands and nails are in tip-top shape.


2. Settle On A Budget
You need to decide upon a budget and rather early on. Whether it’s you, your fiancé, his parents or yours, it needs to not only be discussed, but finalized to the last cent in order to maintain positive relations with everyone. No one wants to feel pressured or uneasy with all the planning, and having a clear, set budget is one way of decreasing potential tension that is sure to ensue.



3. Sign Up For Sale Alerts
There are so many details that go in to a wedding, from the accessories to the honeymoon packages. However it is important to keep in mind that all things go on sale! So make sure that you sign up for any alerts that might be of use so that you can save as much money as possible.


4. Insure Your Ring
Make Sure You Do This! God forbid anything ever happen to that now precious accessory, but accidents do happen and because of that this is a necessity! If your fiancé has not done it already, make sure this is done immediately. The jeweler where it was purchased should refer you to certified insurers. Also, make sure to ask the jeweler for an appraisal slip because this will be used to determine its value. Your fiancé spent a lot of time and money picking out the perfect ring; therefore you shouldn’t risk any potential damages or loosing it. I cannot stress this enough, make sure you get your ring insured!



5. Sign Up For Pinterest
As you can probably tell from most of the other posts, Pinterest is a huge source of inspiration! It has pictures and ideas from everything from food and fitness to wedding and décor. It is by far the biggest resource for wedding ideas. Everything from your dream dress, to DIY favors, to mouth-watering cakes and everything in between can be found. It is by far a great tool and can be considered a brides best friend!



6. Have ‘The Money Talk’ With Your Fiancé
The wedding budget conversation is not the only money centered conversation necessary. You are creating a family now and you two will also need to hash out all the logistics that come along with merging bank accounts. The saying “what’s yours is mine” is not as simple as it sounds.



7. Sign Up For Trunk Show Alerts
Everyone dreams up their perfect dress for their wedding day. Whether it’s princess-like ball gown or a sleek and elegant evening gown, your checkbook will thank you for signing up for local trunk shows. By following your local bridal boutique on Facebook and referring to a regional bridal magazine for a list of the designer trunk shows in your area, you will be able to go, see and touch all the most recent designer gowns – straight off the runway.



8. Choose A Diet Plan & Start It
It is common for brides to want to look their absolute best on their wedding day. Not only do they want to look great in all the pictures that will forever be timeless reminders of the day that they said “I do”, they also want to feel their absolute best. To do this however, many plan to lose weight. Keep in mind; the worst thing to do is to wait until the last minute and crash diet. Therefore you should start as soon as possible. If you plan on dieting you need to pick an appropriate and well-fitting plan and make sure to stick with it! This is the best way to not only achieve your ultimate goal, but to look and feel your best.



9. Pick A Location
The location – city and venue – is the most important decision you will make in the wedding planning process. Everyone will have an opinion about where you should get married and where the reception should be held. Therefore it is important to get this discussion started as soon as possible.



10. Hire A Planner
It does not matter how great of a planner you are or that you are extremely Type-A and organized. The wedding planning process is hectic and a job in itself. Very few people have the time and patience necessary for such a grueling process. Which is why you should leave it to the professionals, like those here at Paisley Events! J You want your wedding day to be relaxing and stress-free. Without a planner you are almost guaranteed to be stressed and worried about all the details on your big day instead of focusing on the more important things at hand. Hiring a professional who does this for a living, allows them to worry about the details not only throughout the planning process, but on the day of as well. Trust me, it will be money well spent!



I hope this helps and makes the beginning stages of the engagement and wedding planning process as easy as possible! Once again, Congratulations! This is a very special time so make sure you stop and enjoy the moment!

xox Lauren

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Our Newest Wedding: Alexis and Joe!

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Well, we've done it again ladies and gentlemen! 
Saturday, June 9, 2012 marked the stunning wedding day of Alexis and Joe that Paisley Events were so fortunate to be a part of. The couple called Paisley with a last minute "day of" assistance, one of our most popular packages, and we could not be happier that we were there. Talk about a couple that fully encompasses love- that was Alexis and Joe! Both Alexis and Joe are music and theatrical guru’s so we knew that this wedding would not only be beautiful, but also fun!
The day began with Paisley Events members divided between the bride and groom's hotels in charge of waking up, providing coffee and breakfast, and making sure that everyone was on schedule. With everything running smoothly, we found a minor hiccup with the men- some buttons were MIA, including the groom's! The joy of having a wedding planner at your side! A Paisley member called the company, and buttons were sent over to the hotel just in time for the party to get into the limo.
Then came the ceremony at St. Peter's Church in Danbury, CT. The bride was beaming in her white, sweetheart neckline lace gown as she came down the aisle, escorted by her father, only to be greeted by her touched husband-to-be holding back the tears.
The color scheme of the bridal party was bridesmaids wore full-length light green dresses, and the younger girls wore a light purple. The men’s grey/tan suits, purple boutonnieres, and green bow ties and vests perfectly complimented the women’s colors. After the ceremony and some fun pictures (see collage below), the wedding made its way to the reception at the quaint Lounsbury House in Ridgefield, CT.
The couple added something out of the ordinary to their reception that I would love to share. As the bridal party was called, the youngest girls brought down an eloquently decorated broom while the singer of the band explained its tradition. “Jumping the broom” is an African tradition that the couple decided to incorporate into their wedding. As they were called down for the first time as husband and wife, they jumped over the broom, symbolically representing the couple sweeping away the old and welcoming the new. Adding special traditions like this to your wedding really add a great personal touch for everyone to enjoy :) 
After the two’s touching first dance, the 112 guests met and sat in the beautifully decorated rooms of the house.  The delicious buffet arranged in the “dining room” really added to the homey feel that the reception house presented. With the sound of Joe’s friend’s band playing in the next room, guests were allowed to sit and enjoy each other’s presence or join on the dance floor. I can assure you that by the end, this lively wedding was all on the dance floor enjoying each other’s company.
This fun was only to be interrupted by a surprise from the bride to the groom. Curious what happened? With a short background, the bride explained her and Joe’s moment they once shared singing “1000 Years” by Christina Perri. Well, Alexis took the microphone and decided to sing the song to Joe, singing with absolute perfection (even with some tears in the end).
Can they be any cuter?! 
The day ended as sweet as it began with a delicious and darling dessert table—complete with candy bar, cupcake tiers, and a quaint wedding cake. Take a look at the picture- and note the decorations around the table. Believe it or not, those were the bows tied onto the church pews during the ceremony- guests would never have noticed and it’s a GREAT money saver!
We are so happy that we were able to celebrate and help with the couple as they celebrated each other’s love.
Paisley Events wishes Alexis and Joe a lifetime of happiness!!  
Dessert Table (with bows)


Monday, May 21, 2012

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too?


Have you ever wondered how to defy the saying, “you can never have your cake and eat it too”?  Well, I’m here to tell you that on your wedding day, you can! Thanks to the tradition of saving the top tier of your wedding cake, brides and grooms everywhere are able to eat their cake at the reception while saving the top to eat whenever you want.
The whole tradition started in England with their brandy-soaked fruit, most served at weddings.  The newlyweds would save the fruit and bring it out to eat again on their one-year anniversary or the christening of their first child. Although it was easier to preserve back then, people today still choose to stick to the tradition... and we're happy they did! It's a great way to keep the love alive and rekindle all emotions from your wedding- months after the big day.

The key is in the way it’s packaged! Before the wedding, purchase a plastic container big enough to fit the circumference of the tier, and an airtight lid. Bring the container to the reception (or have event planners, like Paisley Events, take care of it for you). After the cake is cut, immediately place the tier into the container. If you are going on a honeymoon, have a close family member or friend take it to their house to freeze. Don’t forget—before putting the container in the freezer- wrap the whole thing in tinfoil! With all the protection, it is almost guaranteed that the cake will be ready to thaw and eat with your loved one just in time for your one-year anniversary. Enjoy!

***Remember to tell your baker you're planning on saving the top tier so you still have enough cake to feed all your guests***
Example of top tier one year later


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Wedding Steps Bridal Show!...Again!


Wedding Steps Bridal Show 
at
The Waterview in Monroe CT

This past weekend , Paisley Events joined 75 other vendors at the stunning Waterview in Monroe CT to participate in the Wedding Steps Bridal Show (our second show with them this year!). The brides came from all around Connecticut and New York to see the vendors and gain ideas for their big day! The last show we exhibited in with The Wedding Steps was much smaller, and this was the GBE of CT! I was assisted by my lovely intern, Emily DeMarco, and Paisley Events' best friend, Megan Carey!

Event vendor participated in a bridal raffle by donating a item worth $50+ to the "bin". To be considered for the prizes, the brides had to circulate the exhibitors room and receive signatures from each vendor. Unlike the last show, the raffles were announced at the end of the show! I prefer this method because, at least for me, i got to meet with the couple who won my prizes before they left the show itself. I raffled off another Day Of Coordination package, as well as 3 hours worth of A La Carte!

Below are the pictures my lovely assistant Megan took from the booth! Thanks Megan!


The booth while we were setting up...notice how off skew the banner is!!!

The table. Floral centerpiece designed by Floral by Grace located in Greenwich Produce on Rt123!

Display round! Isnt the fabric fantastic! The entire table was lent to us by Events Party & Tent Rental in Georgetown CT!


Me next to the finished booth!!!

Renata, owner of Lovely Cakes in Norwalk CT was sweet enough to bring us a showpiece
(make and totally edible btw)!
She is the Spotlight vendor at my June Bride to be Academy Class!!!



We look forward to seeing you at Bosco's Wedding Expo at The Plaza in Danbury, CT on Saturday March 24th!




xoxo




Katherine

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Wedding Steps Bridal Show!

Wedding Steps Bridal Show 
at
The Matrix Conference Center in Danbury CT

Today Paisley Events joined 35 other vendors at the magnificent Matrix Conference Center in Danbury, CT to participate in the Wedding Steps Bridal Show. The brides were incredible! I have been to a few shows before, and this was by far one of the most well organized and smoothly run shows. 

Every vendor participated in a bridal raffle by donating an item worth $50+ to the "bin." To be considered for a prize, the brides had to circulate the exhibitors room and receive signatures from each vendor. Incidentally, this was an awesome way to regulate foot traffic to each vendor!

The girls from Occasions put on a walking fashion show, displaying bridal gowns, flower girl dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and mother of the bride dresses. I love this idea! Instead of taking attention from the vendors, the girls were parading the entire show. Not only does it allow the brides to see how the dress moves, but it's all up close! What better way to judge a dress than to be able to step up and ask the model what it's like?

The entertainment was given by one performer. He sang a few numbers and was topped of by an explosion of color and sparklers going off on every side of him for his finale! It was great! The matrix had also set up tours of their facility for interested brides, and designed their ballroom for both a ceremony and a reception. This gave brides information on how the venue would appear if they were to book their wedding date. 

Paisley Events donated a "Day Of Coordination" Gift Certificate to the "bin" and we also raffled one "Day Of" at the table. We received our floral centerpiece from Main Street Floral in Ridgefield. They were also a vendor at the show. 

Paisley Events Exhibitor Booth with hanging banner.

The Paisley Events Banner, before it fell off the wall!

Floral Centerpeice by Main Street Floral.

Paisley Events Booth before the show!

We look forward to seeing you at the Wedding Steps Bridal Show at The Waterview in Monroe, CT on Sunday March 4th!

xoxo

Katherine