Are you a newly engaged bride feeling overwhelmed by the wedding planning tasks ahead? Or maybe your New Year’s resolution is to explore the possibility of a career in the wedding and event planning field. The i-do Boutique has got you covered!

Please join us on Sunday, March 21 for Seminar Sunday at the i-do Boutique! Registration is required – contact i-do Boutique to pre register at 513-871-6400 or info@i-do-boutique.com

You can pre-register online at the i-do-boutique website >click here

Wedding Planning 101
2:00-4:30pm on 3/21
$30 per person Refreshments provided

Each couple will receive a gift bag with a variety of special offers and discounts from boutique vendors.

This seminar is geared towards brides, grooms and mothers who need some guidance. Acquire loads of practical information and specific tips on how to plan a beautiful wedding on any budget. We will discuss average costs of all bridal services, pitfalls to avoid when choosing vendors and insider secrets to help you ask the right questions to get what you want. In addition you’ll learn the 7 biggest regrets of brides, unique ideas to personalize your wedding and how to maintain your sanity throughout the planning process.

So You Think You Can Plan
11:00am-1:30pm on 3/21
$40 per person Refreshments provided

This seminar is for those considering a career change into the field of wedding and event planning. We will discuss tips on how to break into the wedding planning business, pitfalls to avoid if starting your own business and what to charge for your services as a new planner. Brigid will also discuss the top 10 things she wishes she would have known when she started her own wedding planning business.

Have you heard about the Crate and Barrel registry parties at the Kenwood Towne Center?  The next two parties will be held Sunday, February 21 and 28 from 9:00-11:00am.  One of our brides recently attended and really enjoyed the food, beverages and special attention from the associates at the store.  She also received a special free gift for attending the event.  Only engaged couples are allowed in the store for the parties, so the process of registering for wedding gifts can be done in a relaxed atmosphere without the typical weekend crowds.  Martha, the store manager, told me they plan to have more parties in March and you can RSVP with an associate at the store or call the store at (513) 984-4555 to register.  For more information visit www.crateandbarrel.com.

I love treats of all kinds, and that is just what you’ll find this Thursday at the Savannah Center in West Chester from 6:30-8:30pm!  The event is free to the public, and you’ll be able to sample desserts as local cake designers transform their confections into works of art.  Brides who stop by our table will see a sample of our sweet treat buffet service and receive some very valuable offers from preferred vendors of the i-do Boutique including:

$400 in savings from Fabulous Bridal http://www.fabulous-bridal.com/

$50 off Zoom Teeth Whitening services http://www.bmeisterdental.com/

$25-$50 off invitations at M. Hopple http://www.mhopple.com/ and Margot Madison http://www.margotmadisonstationery.com/

Not to mention delicious cupcake and cookie samples from Donna’s Gourmet Cookies http://www.donnasgourmetcookies.com/

For more information about this free event http://www.cincinnatimagazinewedding.com/promotions/promotion.aspx?id=28720

Hope to see you there!

I’m excited to tell you that my friend and nationally known wedding cake artist, Jan Kish (owner of La Petite Fleur in Columbus, OH) has just returned from the California filming of TLC’s Ultimate Cake Challenge.  Jan was unable to tell me much because of her contract with TLC, but she did say they made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.  She has never done anything like this before and described the details as mind boggling, the planning as enormous and the expectations as astounding!  Jan and her incredible team should be appearing in the 7^th episode expected to air on TLC between March 15-22.  I had the pleasure of meeting Jan’s team this summer at a rooftop blow out bash celebrating their latest appearance on the pages of Bride’s Magazine.  These ladies are extremely talented, extraordinarily creative and a lot of fun to be around.  Be sure to cheer for our fellow buckeyes turned reality TV stars – I’m sure they’ll make us proud!

Jan Kish La Petite Fleur

Café de Wheels is Cincinnati’s first truly portable rolling café.  Chef Michael Katz specializes in late night comfort food like gourmet burgers, chili, crispy chicken and Cuban sandwiches, grilled cheese, fries – both regular & sweet potato –all cooked to order on propane grills in the truck using fresh local ingredients from Findlay Market, Gimintetti Bakery and Bleh Avril butchers.  Owner, Tom Acito, is very interested in catering rehearsal dinners in outdoor venues or private homes from his truck.  I think wedding guests would also love these late night comfort foods as the reception was winding down.  For more information on Café de Wheels, contact Tom at 513-560-6234 or visit the website:  http://www.cafedewheels.com/

Are you a newly engaged bride feeling overwhelmed by the wedding planning tasks ahead? Or maybe your New Year’s resolution is to explore the possibility of a career in the wedding and event planning field. The i-do Boutique has got you covered!

Please join us on Sunday, January 31 for Seminar Sunday at the i-do Boutique! Registration is required – contact i-do Boutique to pre register at 513-871-6400 or info@i-do-boutique.com

You can pre-register online at the i-do-boutique website >click here

Wedding Planning 101
2:00-4:30pm on 1/31
$30 per person Refreshments provided

Each couple will receive a gift bag with a variety of special offers and discounts from boutique vendors.

This seminar is geared towards brides, grooms and mothers who need some guidance. Acquire loads of practical information and specific tips on how to plan a beautiful wedding on any budget. We will discuss average costs of all bridal services, pitfalls to avoid when choosing vendors and insider secrets to help you ask the right questions to get what you want. In addition you’ll learn the 7 biggest regrets of brides, unique ideas to personalize your wedding and how to maintain your sanity throughout the planning process.

So You Think You Can Plan
11:00am-1:30pm on 1/31
$40 per person Refreshments provided

This seminar is for those considering a career change into the field of wedding and event planning. We will discuss tips on how to break into the wedding planning business, pitfalls to avoid if starting your own business and what to charge for your services as a new planner. Brigid will also discuss the top 10 things she wishes she would have known when she started her own wedding planning business.

Here’s a list of trends we have been seeing and expect to see more of in 2010:

1. Greener Weddings: Cincinnati brides are choosing locally grown foods on wedding day menus, recycling what they can and trying to have the ceremony and reception in the same venue; check out Brigid’s “Being Green” interview with Cincinnati Wedding Magazine: http://www.cincinnatimagazinewedding.com/about/article.aspx?id=19236

Photo Credit: amyatlas.com

2. Alternative Favors: Candy buffets done in the wedding colors or donations to charity continue to be a popular alternative to a “trinket” wedding favor

Photo by: Essenza Studio

3. Lighting, Draping & Lounges: More couples are pin spot lighting their centerpieces or simply “up lighting” the walls of the venue with color for a low cost, high impact mood setter; we also saw more draped fabric to disguise indoor venue flaws & more reception lounges; check out Brigid’s “Light Show” interview with Cincinnati Wedding Magazine: http://www.cincinnatimagazinewedding.com/article2.aspx?id=27904

Photo by: Rachael Waring

4. Modern Guest Books: Photo booth guest books as well as coffee table guest books with engagement photos or Cincinnati scenes have replaced the standard guest book & frilly feather pen

5. Interactive Rehearsal Dinners: Couples are helping their families and friends get acquainted the night before the wedding by using creative venues and themes that offer more guest interaction than the standard sit down rehearsal dinner

6. Alternative Music: More couples are asking their ceremony musicians to play pop and classic rock tunes on their classical instruments for the ceremony

Photo by: Gorden Baer

7. Heritage Tables: Brides and grooms are celebrating the past successful marriages in their families by displaying the wedding portraits of their parents and grandparents

Photo by: TM Photography

8. Short dresses, Reception Dresses & Fun Footwear: Short bridesmaid dresses and a “reception dress” for the bride were very popular (a reception dress is a second dress the bride can more easily dance in) Also hot this year: fun, colorful shoes for the bride/bridesmaids and crazy socks for the groom/groomsmen

Photo by: Mike Bresnen

9. Elaborate out of town guest Gift Bags: Lots of couples are providing a welcome bag of goodies when guests check in at hotels for the wedding – many including foods that Cincinnati is famous for

Photo by: Photosmith

10. Late Night Snacks, Dessert Buffets & Comfort Food: Couples are serving a variety of late night comfort foods like cheese coneys, pizza, sliders, mini Philly cheese steak & grilled cheese sandwiches, French fries and warm chocolate chip cookies & milk; Dessert buffets continued to be popular as well offering pie, brownies, cupcakes, ice cream, mini milk shake shooters or ethnic treats like Cannoli

The i-do Boutique will be closed Wednesday 12/23, Thursday 12/24 & Friday 12/25.  We will reopen on Saturday 12/26 at 10:00am excited and ready to help all of you newly engaged couples get started and the rest of you who need to get back on track!  Take advantage of your holiday break from work or school and come see us in the boutique.  We are dedicated to making your wedding planning more efficient and most importantly, FUN!

This past Saturday we had the privilege of working with Megan Clark and Brock Johnson on their wedding at St. Xavier Church and Cincinnati Country Club. About an hour before we had to leave for the ceremony, the mother of the bride noticed a stain on her dress. Marylyn Clark had somehow cut her finger and rubbed blood on her silk dupioni gown. As a wedding planner, I am always prepared for stain removal on the wedding day. However this was no ordinary stain, and it certainly was no ordinary gown. With a stain on silk, the wrong cure can be as harmful as the cause. Some solutions will remove the original stain but leave an unsightly ring behind. For this reason, I called an expert. Tom Paolucci at Widmer’s on Madison Road took my call and told me to get the dress to him as quickly as possible. He had the stain removed and the dress pressed in less than 30 minutes – Crisis Averted! Widmer’s advice: In an emergency, don’t try to remove a stain on silk or satin with water. In fact, the best move is to do nothing and get it to the closest reputable dry cleaner as soon as possible. See before and after shots of the dress below. A big thank you to Tom and his co-workers at Widmer’s who truly saved the day!

I received a call today from Helen Fox, a volunteer for Granny’s Garden School. The group has a program where they charge a minimal fee to give gardeners all they need to succeed in growing enough food for their family with enough left over for a food pantry donation. One of the items they provide to families is a frost cloth to cover the plants as temperatures drop. Helen said the aisle runners from weddings make the perfect frost cloths. If you have a wedding coming up and would like to donate your aisle runner after the big day, please drop it off at the i-do Boutique in Obryonville. We will make sure your donation helps those in need. For more info on Granny’s Garden School, check out their website at http://grannysgardenschool.com/.

As the owner of a wedding planning company, I receive numerous requests for career advice, informational interviews and internships. I am excited to introduce a new seminar for those interested in the field of wedding planning. “So You Think You Can Plan” will be offered at the i-do Boutique in Obryonville on Sunday, November 22 at 2:00pm. We will discuss tips on how to break into the wedding planning business, pitfalls to avoid if starting your own business and how to book your first wedding. Registration is required. More information is available at the i-do Boutique: 513-871-6400 or info@i-do-boutique.com

I had often been told by past clients that the top layer of wedding cake that gets frozen until the first anniversary never tastes very good when eaten a year later. When I discussed this with Carol Lanner of The Bonbonerie, she explained that the taste a year later depends on the preparation before freezing. Her advice was to remove the bottom layer of cardboard the cake sits on before wrapping the cake in plastic wrap and foil. If left in place, this thin layer of cardboard sucks all the moisture out of the cake. We started sharing Carol’s trick with our clients and hoped for the best.

This week, Carol’s theory was proven to be true! I received an email from a client we worked with in September 2008:

Hi Brigid – I wanted to let you know that Tom and I finally got around to defrosting our wedding cake for our anniversary and it was delicious. I am positive that the reason for the delicious cake is Melody’s recommendation to take off the cardboard from the layer before freezing. I followed her directions to a tee and the cake tasted as good as it did on our wedding day! i-do Weddings & Events is still impacting our lives a year after our wedding! I cannot say thank you enough to all of you! You made our day, and you are golden memories for me of our day!

Sincerely, Valerie

Needless to say, Valerie’s note made my day. How cool to receive a note like this more than a year after a wedding. Step by step instructions for freezing the top layer are below.

Happy eating!

1. Have the catering staff remove the top cake layer and box it at the end of the night. Ask them to remove any items that won’t freeze well, such as fruit or flowers. Also ask them to remove the bottom layer of cardboard.
2. Ask a trusted wedding guest who lives nearby to take the top layer home with her. Have her freeze it right away for at least 2 hours to harden the icing.
3. Take the cake out of the freezer and wrap it in plastic wrap three to four times followed by a layer of tin foil.
4. Place the wrapped cake back in the cake box.
5. Wrap the entire cake box in three to four layers of plastic wrap. This will keep the taste and texture of the cake fresh.
6. Place the cake box back in the freezer. Leave it there until it is ready to be eaten.
7. Remove the box on your first anniversary. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for 48 hours and then another 2 to 3 hours at room temperature.

Here’s a cautionary tale for brides to be. This weekend we worked with one of the most organized brides we have ever had. I was sure the wedding day would go exactly as planned. Not so fast! When I arrived on the scene, my client was in tears because she did not like her flowers. She had wanted rich, elegant fall colors and wound up with what she described as springtime bouquets. We were able to pull out the flowers she did not like and added red roses for a bit more autumnal color – but it made for some anxious moments for all involved. “Elegant fall colors” can mean different things to different florists. To avoid an unpleasant surprise like this on your wedding day – ask to see a mock up of your bouquets and centerpieces. You’ll be glad you did!

FYI – the above photo is courtesy of TM Photography and not from our wedding this weekend!

The reason for my long delay in blog posts is now open to the public. Today I opened the i-do Boutique in Obryonville. The i-do Boutique is a complimentary event resource showroom for anyone planning a wedding or special event. We invite you to stop in and browse our information on over 75 wedding and event venues and talented, in demand and sometimes hard to find vendors – all in one place.

Our experienced staff will guide you through the planning process by providing superior vendor recommendations, unique design ideas and smart planning advice. These services are complimentary, as they are supported by the vendors who display their work in our boutique.

If you need more personalized help from me, or if you would like to hire a wedding or special event planner, we offer several service options tailored to fit your individual needs. A portion of our proceeds is donated to the Pink Initiative, a collection of wedding industry professionals dedicated to funding awareness, outreach, education and research for breast cancer.

One of our calls today came from a bride named Sarah who lost both her priest and church for her upcoming October 17 wedding – less than 3 weeks from now. We were able to find some alternative venues and officiants at no charge to her thanks to the generous support of our vendors. Please stop in or call us soon. We would really love to be of service!

www.i-do-boutique.com

A special thanks to Mark Garber Photography for the photos.

(in our own backyard)

I am often asked for advice on what a bride and groom should give to their parents in appreciation for a wonderful wedding. A little over an hour from Cincinnati is a very special place called the Murphin Ridge Inn. It is the perfect “get away” for a mother and father of the bride or groom who has spent the better part of a year helping to plan and pay for a wedding.

The staff is friendly and attentive, the award winning restaurant serves some of the best meals imaginable, and the hand built cabins are filled with luxurious indulgences. The Inn is situated on 142 acres of rolling woodlands and farmland with hiking trails and beautiful views of the Appalachian foothills.

So the next time you hear your parents say, “I’m going to need a vacation after this wedding” – think about a gift certificate to the Murphin Ridge Inn.

www.murphinridgeinn.com

One of the things I love most about being a wedding planner is having the opportunity to connect with the families of my clients. In many cases, I feel like a part of the family myself by the wedding day. That’s why it means so much to me when I have the opportunity to work with a family on a wedding more than once.

I recently had the honor of working with the Brant family for the second time. In October 2006, we helped plan the wedding of Abbie Brant and Danny Lipson on a perfect autumn day at the Drees Pavilion. The following year we coordinated the wedding of Danny’s cousin, Miriam Lipson to Jake Hodesh at the Freedom Center. And this spring we were reunited with the Brant and Lipson families at the wedding of Vallie Brant and Chris Freeman in Denver, Colorado.

With the help of my dear friend, Denver based wedding planner Char Hein, the Brant family and I planned a destination wedding in Colorado. Vallie’s mother, Suzi, is one of the most fun mothers I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She knows what she wants, and she has exquisite taste. She also has a great sense of humor – a very helpful quality when planning a wedding in another city.

The whole experience made me appreciate how difficult it is to plan a wedding from afar. A large percentage of our clients grow up in Cincinnati, move away for school or a job, and then decide to come back home to get married. They hire us to streamline the planning process, narrow down the vendor choices and to ensure everything goes smoothly on the wedding day. That is exactly what Char did for me. With little knowledge of Denver based service providers, Char provided me with pre-screened vendor suggestions, a great team of assistants when I arrived in Denver and a great deal of help the week of the wedding and most importantly, on the wedding day.

My favorite “wedding planner appreciation” moment came when Char fixed a problem with Vallie’s dress using nothing but ribbon from her emergency kit. I neglected to mention that Char is both a Master Bridal Consultant and the state coordinator for the Colorado chapter of the Association of Bridal Consultants. She was kind enough to share some of her best tricks of the trade with me – and I will be forever in her debt. There is no way I could have done this wedding without her help. I used to think my clients were just being nice when they would say that to me. Thanks to my experience with Char, now I know they mean it.

A special thanks to our incredible Denver based vendors. If you or someone you know is planning a wedding in Colorado, this is the team you want: Marta @ the Grand Hyatt Denver, Erin @ Plum Sage Florist, Paige Eden and Laura Esmond @ L’amour de Vie Photography, Lisa @ Mares Video, Leavitt Music, the band: Dressed In Black, Rob @ Show Tek Lighting, Denver Photo Booth and last but not least: Char Hein with Everlasting Memories by Char.

These beautiful images are courtesy of Paige & Laura @ L’amour de Vie. Congratulations Vallie & Chris!

Sisters, Vallie & Abbie Brant on the wedding day

These rings were hand engraved with Chris & Vallie’s fingerprints

Red velvet, carrot, chocolate and strawberry shortcake cupcakes!

Thanks to Cincinnati based Amo Ink for these candy bag place cards

– a real hit with our guests!

Martha Napier and Zack Nippert were married May 30, 2009. The ceremony was held at the Summit Country Day School Chapel where Martha attended grade school. The reception followed at the Taft Museum of Art. I have so many favorite things about this wedding. First was Martha’s dress – an ivory silk organza dress by Oscar de la Renta. Next was the tent at the Taft – the chandeliers from All Occasions were the prettiest I have ever seen. You can catch a glimpse of one in the photo of Zack & Martha’s first dance.

You may recall the brief but powerful storm system that moved through Cincinnati that night. Tornado sirens were going off, but I don’t think the guests even noticed because they were having too much fun. At one point, our band had to stop playing because their equipment was getting wet. Thankfully the Westin hotel allowed my staff to borrow some towels, and Clueless (formerly Johnny Clueless) played on!

Martha is an artist, so an art museum was the perfect place for her reception. Her favor was a collection of note cards – some cards were reproductions of famous Taft Museum works of art and others were her own creations. Other special touches included her place cards. My staff carefully inserted drink umbrellas into each one so guests could enjoy the umbrellas in the signature drink of the evening – a special mohito called a Napito!

The wedding was a huge success thanks to the many talented vendors who made it all happen. Brad & Suzanne from Photosmith were kind enough to send these images. It was a pleasure working with them as well as Nancy from Brideface who made everyone look their best, Kevin Ford from Ford Ellington who made the beautiful bouquets and centerpieces, the cake artists at Maribelle who matched the cake design to Martha’s dress, Elegant Fare who catered the delicious dinner, Greg & Steve from MillsFilms who captured the day on film, our musicians – the Bobby Sharp Trio and the band Clueless, Robert with All Occasions Event Rental who provided those amazing chandeliers and Mike & Mark Folchi who provided the tuxedos.

A very special thank you goes out to M&M Limo. When the tornado sirens started to go off, the horse & carriage company called to say they would not be able to pick up our bride & groom at the end of the night. One phone call later, the problem was solved when Scott from M&M Limo graciously offered to bail me out and personally came to the Taft to take Martha & Zack to their hotel. Thanks again, Scott – you are a true lifesaver! You never know what is going to happen on the wedding day. I am so thankful I can always count on my preferred vendors to save the day.

We have just been notified that our clients Alexis Collins & Steven Kotev will be featured in the upcoming edition of Cincinnati Wedding Magazine. Check out some images from their wedding photographed by Mark & Jennifer Garber. The wedding was held on Feather Hill farm in Owenton, KY. I can honestly say I have never seen so many stars in the night sky as I did that evening. The mother of the bride, Deborah Collins, did most of the planning work with us – but the end result was uniquely Alexis & Steven.

Tom & Christy Neyer were married at St. Xavier Church and had a fabulous reception at Music Hall this past November. We had the privilege and honor of working with some of our favorite vendors including Tine from TM Photography, Steve from Glass Eye Video, Dennis from Buttlewerth Florist, Jeff Thomas Catering, Mo from Bakery Hill, Goodwin Lighting and the Rusty Griswolds. A top notch vendor team makes all the difference on the wedding day.

I was talking with one of my brides today who asked how she could suggest her wedding guests give a gift to a local charity instead of giving a traditional wedding gift to her. She is not the first to ask, and it made me feel very lucky to have clients like her. How wonderful that a bride would use her wedding to help others, and how wonderful for me to have the honor of helping her do it.

I directed her to an organization called the I Do Foundation: http://www.idofoundation.org/. This website gives brides many options for helping others. If a bride wants to register for wedding gifts, the foundation has partnered with Target, REI and cooking.com to donate 10% of every purchase to her favorite charity. If a bride decides she has everything she needs and wants guests to donate to a charity in lieu of gifts, the website guides her through the process of setting up an online donation registry. It also offers wedding favors and invitations that give 10% back to charity.

In 2007, I worked with a couple who raised over $20,000 for the Save Darfur Coalition by asking for donations instead of wedding gifts. Here’s what Miriam & Jake Hodesh had to say:
“We were standing in the aisle of a department store wondering if the curve of the plate that we had registered for would go well with the glasses that we had registered for. We looked at each other and started laughing … And so, we deleted our registries, to the dismay of some, and the awe of others.” The couple added, “We feel honored to have had the opportunity to affect change. We hope that our vision will continue to change the lives of a people many miles away.”

Certainly Miriam and Jake are the exception and not the norm, but the spirit of giving in any amount is an admirable way to make the world a better place.