UNIQUE WAYS TO CELEBRATE SAYING "I DO"

10 Outrageous wedding receptions

by Jessica Padykula

If you’re stumped on what direction you want to take your upcoming wedding reception or ceremony, take inspiration from some of the most outrageous ones we've seen in a while.

We asked event planner Preston Bailey to share some of his most unique, totally out-of-the-box receptions.

1

Ceremony at twilight

If you're having an evening reception at home or in an outdoor space, take inspiration from this ultra-sparkly setting. Here, the backyard of a home in Carmel, California, is transformed into an enchanted ceremony garden, and the result is pure romance.

2

Donald Trump's wedding

Would you expect anything less from Donald Trump's wedding? Opulence is the name of the game here and the setting for his reception is nothing short of gorgeous. Candelabras encrusted with white hydrangeas, roses and wisterias add an elegant touch to the wedding of Donald and Melania Trump at the Mar-a-Lago club.

3

Green bridal suite

By hanging ribbons from the ceiling and adorning the walls with floral screens, Bailey was able to create a dramatic setting with an almost ethereal quality. Who wouldn't want to get ready for their big day in a space like this one?

4

Raising the bar

Bailey totally transformed an empty hotel ballroom in Jakarta, Indonesia, when he created a stunning golden floral tree accented by hanging crystals. The awe-inspiring piece of decor was used as a centerpiece for the bar area. We'll drink to that.

5

Starry night at the Waldorf Astoria

Too cold out for a fresh air wedding? Feel like you're celebrating under the stars no matter where you are or the season with a reception that recreates the feeling of a clear night. LED lights in the ceiling were used to create an intimate and star-filled wonderland at the iconic New York City landmark.

6

A bit of whimsy

A life-sized floral carousel in Java, Indonesia, adds a pretty yet playful effect to this celebration. The gorgeous piece makes a dramatic statement for wedding guests to enjoy the after party and creates an eye-catching anchor for the reception space.

7

A grand greeting

This wedding reception gets a luxe look like no other when a vintage bird bath is adorned with flowers. The unique addition to the wedding is not only an escort card table, but something that also serves as a statement piece.

8

Sophistication in the South of France

A wedding in a romantic locale like the charming, elegant South of France needs to look the part — and this one does. Hanging crystal chandeliers, classic white tables, tall green hedges, topiary centerpieces and cherry blossoms create a look that's chic, classic and oh-so-sophisticated.

9

A fairy tale effect

Romance should take center stage when it comes to weddings and there's no better way to create a romantic look than with flowers. This ceremony in Puerto Rico was designed by hanging wisteria from the ceiling and using roses as aisle markers. A pretty floral gazebo was also displayed to greet the bride and groom.

10

Winter wonderland ceremony

A winter setting can be just as romantic — if not more so — than a summer one. In this over-the-top but truly stunning wedding, oversized branches and blue lighting were used to create a Russian-inspired winter ceremony for Melissa Rivers.

http://www.sheknows.com/love-and-sex/articles/1017611/10-outrageous-wedding-receptions

How To Set Up A Candy Buffet In 6 EASY Steps!

Tonya Coleman here from Soireé Event Design, and I’m back with the “Trend Alert” where I share with you some of the hottest trends in party planning!  This trend is still going strong…in fact it has become a staple in most parties these days from small parties and baby showers to large weddings.  In today’s guest post I’m sharingHow To Set Up A Candy Buffet In 6 EASY Steps! And be sure to scroll down for access to the full budget breakdown and Pinterest board with links to most of the items I used in this table design.

Candy buffets are my all-time favorite party trend and are always featured in any party that I plan. When I first started designing them, I had so many questions, like how to figure out how much candy I would need.  I had no idea how many jelly beans are in a 10 lb bag or how many m&m’s would I need to fill an apothecary jar!  So, after trial and error, I have come up with 6 steps that I always use along with tips to help you set up your next candy buffet.  Let’s take a look at this Baby Shower Candy Buffet table for 24 guests completely finished and then I’ll show you step-by-step how I did it.

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6 Steps to Setting Up A Candy Buffet!

Step 1:  Decide on a theme & colors

Candy buffets are all the rage in Baby Showers!  They are taking the place of giving out traditional party favors.  They are interactive, fun and a definite wow factor to the decor of any party.  The first thing I do when deciding on a theme is pick my printables first.  That way I can design everything else around those colors.  Here I chose my “Girly Baby” baby shower printable collection and decided on an all pink and white color palette for the candy and the table’s decor elements.  Now, where can you find all pink and white candy?

Step 2:  Pick out the types of candy you want

There are so many types of candy to choose from.  To make it easier, I separate candy into 4 categories:

– Bulk loose candy: sold by the pound
– Individually packaged candy: offer one per guest
– Designer candy/sweets: offer one per guest
– Display candy: used for decoration & filler

I like to use a mix of all 4 types of candy so I can display them in a variety of different containers and to ensure there is one of each of some of the candy for each guest and then bulk loose candy that guests help themselves to a scoop or two.

Candy Warehouse is my go-to resource for candy as they are reliable and have high-quality candy in a wide variety of colors. They even have a handy tool on their website called a Candy Buffet Builder that will allow you to search for candy by a specific type or even more fabulous…by the color you are looking for. This makes this step of picking out the types of candy to match your color-coordinated candy buffet a breeze!

TIP: If you have a candy request from the guest of honor that is not available in your colors, like Skittles for example, simply divide the candy into favor sized portions and package them up in individual color coordinated favor boxes or bags so the guest of honor’s favorite candy is on the table and still matches your color palette.

Step 3: Setup the table in 3 zones with appropriate containers 

I always set up my table first to see how much space I actually have to work with before I order the candy.  This way I can order just the amount of candy I need to fill the containers that can be displayed on a 6′ (for smaller events as shown here) or 8′  (for larger events) table without having to refill it.  When doing a color coordinated candy table, always use clear containers so the color of the candy shows through.  Remember to use containers that will properly display the types of candy you chose in Step 2.  If you offer bulk loose candy, be sure that you use containers with a large enough opening for a scoop to fit in and short enough that guests can actually reach to the bottom. If after setting up your table, you may realize you don’t have enough space to display 100 individually packaged candy like swirl lollipops for example, you will have to adjust your choices to include more bulk candy instead that can be displayed in one large jar which takes up less table space.

Setup your table in 3 zones!
Divide your table into 3 horizontal zones and use height appropriate containers in each zone.

Back Zone: Use taller containers or use photo boxes or glass jars to elevate your containers in this zone. Make sure the containers are not too tall so your guests can reach the candy inside them and avoid tipping them over. Test this in advance to avoid this. I used sixlets in the bottoms of the 4 stemmed hurricanes to make the rock candy sticks sit higher in the container so they are easier for guests to get to. I also used 2 glass jars with lids to hold the marshmallow poles in this zone but had the containers lowers to allow for better reach.

TIP: I don’t use bulk candy containers in this zone because it is difficult to reach and scoop out bulk candy in tall containers at the back of the table especially when the candy starts to get low.

Middle Zone:  The middle area of the table is where I display bulk candy in 2 sets of apothecary jars to balance the table design with 3 jars on each side of the table for a more balanced look. Using 6 jars allows you to display a lot of candy here without taking up too much of the table space.  In this zone I used 6 apothecary jars to hold all the bulk candy—m&m’s, gum balls and chocolate balls.  Apothecary jars from Koyal Wholesale are some of my favorite containers to display candy. They have a fabulous set of 3 for $39.98 that are affordable and a must-have in your collection as they hold lots of bulk candy, can be used in almost all party themes and weddings and take up minimal table space.  The set (shown here) includes (1) 14″ tall with 6″ opening diameter, (1) 13.75″ tall with 5.6 opening diameter and (1)12″ tall with 5.3″ opening diameter.

TIP: For larger guest counts (50 or more), I suggest having 4 sets so you have 12 large vessels to hold bulk candy which serves more people with minimal table space.

Front Zone:  The front of the table is where I use trays or shorter containers to display individually portioned items like cotton candy bags, ribbon candy, swirl lollipops and jumbo marshmallows embellished with Sparkle Sticks!

TIP: To display swirl lollipops, re-use the cardboard trays that the swirl lollipops were shipped in by wrapping them with paper, embellish with a ribbon and printable circle, then reinsert the lollipops into the pre-punched holes.

Step 4: Figure out how much candy you will need

Candy Warehouse’s general rule of thumb is to order 8 ounces of candy per guest. Most of their candy is sold in 5 lb bags which equals 80 ounces.  This candy table is setup for 24 guests, so I would need 192 ounces of candy or 15 lbs of candy.  For larger guest counts I order more bulk candy and less individually portioned items.

For individually packaged candy, I always order one per guest, that part is easy!  But what do you do when you go to order loose candy and it’s all sold by the pound! OH NO! How do you figure out how much 10 lbs of jelly beans actually looks like and would it be enough to fill one or more of my fabulous apothecary jars? Here’s a breakdown of the candy used on this table and a visual reference of how the candy fit in the apothecary jars.  I also showed you the candy in 1 gallon freezer bags so you can see how much candy it actually is:

Bulk loose candy:
– M&M’s (5 lb bag)
– gumballs (box of 850)
– puffy poles jumbo marshmallow twists (1 bag)
– foil wrapped chocolate balls (5 lb bag)

Individually packaged candy:
– swirl lollipops (24)
– rock candy sticks (38)
– cotton candy (24 bags purchased from Soiree-EventDesignShop.com)

Designer candy:
– ribbon candy (4 boxes)
– jumbo marshmallows (1 bag)

Display candy:
– sixlets sugar candy beads (5 lb bag)
– jelly beans (10 lb box)

Candy Warehouse also has a great video here that shows how some of their most popular bulk candy fits inside a standard 1 gallon glass jar so you don’t have to wonder how much you will need to order.  You can also click here for a handy Candy Shelf Life Chart that will help you figure out how far in advance you need to order the candy so it is fresh for your event.

TIP:  When shipping candy in the summer months, it’s a good idea to use faster shipping options for only the items that may melt and then use a more economical ground shipping option for the rest.  That way you don’t have to pay rush shipping on your entire order!

Step 5: Design your table with a wow-factor tablecloth, backdrop & centerpiece

When your guests enter your party space, the candy buffet should be a WOW-FACTOR!  The first things they will see is the tablecloth, backdrop & centerpiece.

Matching backdrop:
Here I used a fabulous vinyl pink tufted backdrop from Bubblegum Backdrops that perfectly sets the scene for the table—it’s girly and matches our color palette perfectly.  The backdrop comes with a top rod pocket for easy setup on a backdrop stand.  They have a huge selection of backdrop designs to choose from to match any party theme.

Show-stopper table linen:
For a huge touch of girly sparkle, I covered the table with a gorgeous blush colored sequin tablecloth from Candy Crush Events that is breathtaking!  These come in other colors and are a show-stopper touch!

Themed centerpiece:
The centerpiece should be one of the first things people will see on your table, so make sure it is fabulous and matches your party’s theme.  My signature “bling bear” cupcake tower centerpieces are a super cute way to bring a girly baby shower theme to the table. To add the needed height to the centerpieces, I use clear acrylic plates and tubes from eFavor Mart to showcase the bears high above the table to ensure it is visually powerful.  The bears are dressed in rhinestone studded “baby girl” t-shirts, pink bows and are holding silver rattles and crystal pacifiers.  So posh!

The cupcake tower gives the middle of the table height and is a great way to add additional sweets to your table.  This acrylic 5-tier cupcake stand from eFavor Mart is my all-time favorite party supply!  It sets up in minutes, displays up to 48 standard sized cupcakes and the inside clear tube can be filled with colored acrylic ice gems to match your colors.  Once set up, I display store-bought cupcakes and give them a designer touch with glitter cupcake wrappers from Koyal Wholesale, pink shimmery pink pearl sprinkles and printable cupcake toppers from Soiree Event Design Shop.

Step 6: Finishing touches

This is my favorite part…adding the details!  Once you have all the candy to match your color palette, the last thing to do is add all the finishing touches to enhance the theme of the table.  Check out how I used these items to pull the Girly Baby Shower theme together:

Themed party printables!
This “Girly Baby” printable collection from my shop was the perfect addition to add a modern, girly look to the table.  I used the cupcake toppers, Lolli-tag™ sticks with bows, table sign and labels to add a personalized touch to celebrate the coming of Baby Kori!

Add a little bling!
What is a girly candy table without a little bling!  These fabulous bling tongs & scoops from Talia’s Creative Printing adds just that bit of sparkle detailing that will have your guests talking!  The bling Sparkle Sticks™ fromMade By A Princess is the perfect addition to really glam up simple jumbo marshmallows!

Embellish with bows & ribbon!
Glam up the candy and containers with bows and ribbon.  Here I added black ribbon to the swirl lollipops and decorated their display cartons with wrapping paper, ribbon and printable circle.

Decorate with candy!
How fabulous are these BABY letter ceramic dishes from The Tomkat Studio Shop! They come in every letter so you can create any word you like!  For this baby shower table, the word BABY was perfect and allowed for a cute decorative display for the jelly beans.

TIP: For baby showers, I use candy as game prizes all the time and these square plastic bottles with lids are perfect for that.  Simply fill them with jelly beans, place a stick with a printable down in them and place them on your table to add a decorative element to the table until game time.

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Want to know how much this candy table really cost?  Click over to my blog here for the full cost breakdown and check out my Pinterest board here for a list of most of the items I used in this table design along with prices and links to purchase them.

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VENDOR CREDITS:

– Styling & Photography: Soiree Event Design
– Printables & Cotton Candy Bags: Soiree Event Design Shop
– Candy: Candy Warehouse
– Apothecary jars, white mini cupcake stands & glitter cupcake wrappers: Koyal Wholesale
– BABY ceramic letter dishes, square plastic milk bottles, plastic gumball tubes: TomKat Studio Shop
– Bling tongs & scoops: Talia’s Creative Printing
– Sparkle sticks: Made By A Princess
– Acrylic cupcake tower, risers & pink acrylic gems: eFavorMart
– Sequin tablecloth: Candy Crush Events
– Vinyl backdrop: Bubblegum Backdrops

http://blog.hwtm.com/2013/10/how-to-set-up-a-candy-buffet-step-by-step-instructions/?utm_source=Candy+Buffet+Set+Up+by+Hostess+with+the+Mostess&utm_campaign=100813&utm_medium=email

The Top Wedding Tech Innovations Guaranteed To Make Your Life Easier

By Alessia Piccolo

While technology may have complicated a number of aspects of our lives, when it comes to wedding planning it’s definitely a godsend.

Brides have relied heavily on wedding websites, Facebook group messages and shared Google Docs to keep guests, vendors and their wedding parties organized for years, but these days wedding tech has evolved to include everything from crowd-sourced playlists to seating arrangement software.

Wedding tech can also help you preserve memories of a day that will undoubtedly flash by in what seems like an instant. Wedding hashtags can help you easily gather photos and sentiments published throughout the day while video guestbooks provide a fun paperless way for your guests to send well-wishes (you could even edit your favourite messages together and share them on YouTube or your wedding website!)

Read on to see the top wedding tech innovations guaranteed to take the stress out of the planning process and leave you with even more lasting memories of your big day.

http://www.weddingbells.ca/planning/wedding-tech/

Things Your Mother SHould Have Told You

Tips and Tricks everyone can use

SEPTEMBER 2, 2013  

I have to admit, I’ve not tried all of these so if you do and they don’t work please let me know...

THINGS YOUR MOTHER SHOULD OF TOLD YOU

1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

2. Use a meat baster to “squeeze” your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and you’ll get perfectly shaped pancakes every time….

3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

4. To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.

5. Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies treats in the pan and the marshmallow won’t stick to your fingers.

6. To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.

7. To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on the stovetop.

8. Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces and there won’t be any stains.

9. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won’t be any white mess on outside of the cake.

10. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it’s still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant “fix me up.”

11. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

13. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.

14. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.

15. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

16. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

17. Don’t throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

18. If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

19. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

20. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.

21. Ants, ants, ants everywhere … Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.

22. Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer. Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china. Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets. Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes. Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary). Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

45 Cooking and Baking Tips

1. When boiling milk, first stir in a pinch of baking soda. This will help keep the milk from curdling.
2. Add one teaspoon of lemon juice to each quart of water when cooking rice, this will keep rice fluffy.
3. First rinse raisins, dates and figs in very cold water before putting them through the food chopper. They will not form such a gummy mass.
4. For crisper salads: Place a saucer upside down in the bottom of the salad bowl before filling with salad. Excess moisture will run underneath the saucer and this will help keep the salad crisp and fresh.
5. Tasty flavored whipped cream: First whip cream then add 2 tablespoons of flavored jello and continue beating on slow until the whipped cream is right consistency.
6. Leftover ham: Lay ham slices in a baking dish then cover with maple syrup. Refrigerate overnight then fry the ham in butter the next morning.
7. Add a dash of lemon juice into meatballs before cooking them.
8. You can substitute crumbled cornflakes for bread crumbs when making meatloaf.
9. When a recipe calls for butter the size of an egg, use four tablespoons.
10. Cookie & Cake Decoration: Keep a small amount of sugar in small glass jars, add a few drops of food coloring and shake jar. Keep several colors on hand. You can also use this technique on shredded coconut.
11. Pickle Juice uses: Use sweet pickle juice to thin salad dressing or make French dressing with instead of vinegar, more delicious.
12. Cook vegetables with one or more bouillon cubes instead of salt–improves flavor. Tossing in a few garlic cloves when boiling vegetables makes things tastier too.
13. Salt added to flour used for thickening gravies, etc., will help to prevent lumping.
14. Chilled evaporated milk, whipped until fluffy, may be used as the base for several frozen desserts by the addition of different flavors, fruits, nuts, instant coffee, cocoa, jello, and other flavorings. Then add coconut, drained fruits, etc., as desired. Use easy crusts such as crushed cereal or crackers such as graham.
15. After crimping the edge of the pie crust, lift the edge of the crust gently all around with your fingers. This keeps the dough from sticking to the dish while baking and makes it easier to take out the pieces of pie.
16. Place crackers, dried bread, cookies or sugar which has lumps in a sturdy plastic bag (make sure it has no holes). Roll with a rolling pin or fruit jar as coarse or as fine as you like then pour into a measuring container. If you have more than you need at the time, just tie the bag and place in a pantry or freezer for later use.
17. A teaspoon of sugar mixed with your yeast and water makes it raise better. Even if you are making bread you can use some sugar. Never mix salt directly with the yeast and water mixture as the salt kills the raising action.
18. Keep brown sugar in a closed container with an apple in it, the brown sugar will stay soft and moist.
19. Grate orange and lemon peel before peeling. Dry and add to spice cake or any cookies or puddings. The dried grated peel will keep well in a covered jar.
20. Wrap parsley in foil first, then freeze. Shave off as much as needed, rewrap and return to the freezer. It will retain its flavor and freshness.
21. For fried foods that require flouring, try pancake flour for a change, it’s quite nice.
22. To keep peeled potatoes from turning dark without putting them in water, wrap in paper towel and wet under the faucet.
23. Baking bread? Do not preheat. When you light your oven, pop in the bread pans immediately and you’ll be amazed at the resulting lightness of the bread.
24. Toast oatmeal in the oven before adding to other ingredients when making oatmeal cookies-–delicious!
25. Add two teaspoons of vinegar to jello and it will keep the jello from melting when you serve it.
26. If you scorch milk by accident, put the pan in cold water and add a pinch of salt. Takes away the burned taste.
27. Add a few sprigs of fresh peppermint to leftover tea while it is still warm, then refrigerate. Serve over ice.
28. Roll pastry on waxed paper. Before placing paper on work surface, wipe surface with a damp cloth to prevent slipping. Flour paper lightly, and with forefinger draw a circle an inch and a half larger than the pan you intend to use. You’ve seen pastry cloths with guidelines…and they really do help. When pastry has been rolled out, pick up paper pastry and all. Fit into pan, paper side up and then pull paper away from crust. Prevents tearing or stretching twist paper and pan. Another nice tip: You can also roll pastry between two sheets of waxed paper.
29. If it is a meringue pie you are making…add four or five marshmallows cut into pieces or 1/2 cup miniature ones, to meringue just before spreading. These marshmallows give both flavor and body to the meringue. The latter is important if pie is to stand for sometime before serving.
30. Lemon juice or vinegar in water where cauliflower is cooked makes it keep its white color.
31. To pare pineapple easily cut into rings and peel each slice separately.
32. Add a slice of lemon to peeled sweet potatoes while cooking. The lemon will help them clear and free of discoloration.
33. A tablespoon of minute tapioca sprinkled in apple pie will absorb excess juice while baking.
34. Add one teaspoon baking powder to mashed potatoes to make them fluffy.
35. Dip the blades of shears in hot water before cutting marshmallows, they won’t stick.
36. Have a small bowl of melted butter and just brush on corn on the cob with a pastry brush. If you have a metal bowl you can put a chunk of butter in the bowl and set on grill to melt while meal is grilling.
37. For bananas that are ripe and ready to eat but you have too many, peel the bananas and freeze them then dip in melted chocolate and freeze again, these make a nice treat!
38. Fill a large hole or sugar shaker with flour and use that when needing to dust surfaces with flour or just pour out a tablespoon as you need it, this is handy way to keep a bit of flour on hand instead of digging in the flour bin.
39. Use pastry wheel to cut rolled cookie dough in squares or diamonds, much less rolling and very pretty.
40. Rinse measuring cup in hot water before using syrup, oil, etc. Will pour out clean and not stick to cup.
41. Canned fruit is much better if opened and removed from the can an hour or two before using to restore the oxygen.
42. When making popcorn balls, slip plastic bags on your hands when shaping them, won’t stick or burn your hands.
43. A wire cheese cutter is ideal for cutting chilled refrigerator cookie dough.
44. To liven up day old bread or rolls you can put the bread in a large bowl and place in a pot with a shallow level of boiling water. Remove from heat and cover the pot to steam the bread briefly. The bread will be warm and soft in a couple minutes. You can also use stale breads to make big batches of breadcrumbs and delicious homemade croutons.
45. An ordinary funnel makes the best cooling rack for your tube cake pans.

More tips and tricks here

Cars/Angry Birds Mash-up Party

A month before my son's birthday, I asked him "What kind of party would you like for your 3rd birthday?"  He enthusiastically yelled out "Lightening McQueen!!!" which I gladly agreed to, from Disney Cars.  I purchased the balloons, the pinata, the table cloth, made a banner, printed out free templates  (http://www.great-kids-birthday-parties.com/disney-cars-birthday-party.html) and was excited to start planning the kids' games for his special day.  

Well, a week later, my son decided he would much rather have an Angry Birds party.  I called up my

 friend who was already planning to make an eggless/peanut-less CARS cake and kindly asked her to change it to an Angry Birds one....thank God she didn't get angry with my request.  Back to the stores I went and realized it wasn't so difficult to grant my son's wish.  

By the way...I did both...just for the fun of it :)

The Cost of Hiring a Wedding Planner

April 23, 2013 by Gaitree Shivnauth   

wpic.ca

There is a great saying:

“If you think hiring a Professional is expensive, wait until you hire an Amateur.”
-Red Adair

We can speak for days about the cost of NOT hiring a trained, certified wedding planner, but today let’s talk about what it actually costs to hire a wedding planner.
The average cost of wedding services varies a little across this great country of ours due to demand, experience, and the cost of running a business in the area the wedding planner is operating in.  Some wedding planners have to buy permits for each area they work in, others do not.  Some areas have much higher marketing costs, while others have minimal marketing costs, so here is a guideline to show what average costs are.
Remember:  Prices will be higher depending on the level of experience of the wedding coordinator and the level of complexity of the wedding.
Average cost of hiring a Wedding Planner across Canada:
CONSULTING
Description of Service: Consulting is for couples who need help getting started or who have hit a road-block in their wedding planning. Consulting can be a one-time meeting or an on-going service.  A normal session takes 2 hours and includes a telephone consultation prior to meeting in person.
Cost:

• Cities: $150 for the first hour, $50-100 each additional hour.
• Towns: $100 for first hour $50 each additional hour.

MONTH-OF COORDINATION SERVICES
Description of Service: This is the most common service of a wedding planner.  This service is for those who have planned everything themselves and need someone to help finalize the details and coordinate the actual wedding day for them.  Without a professional wedding planner handling all the details, who will make sure everything you planned actually happens?
Cost:

• Vancouver, BC $1,500+
• Edmonton, AB $800-1,500+
• Red Deer, AB & surrounding areas  $600-1,000+
• Calgary, AB $800-1,500+
• Saskatoon, SK $600-1,000+
• Regina, SK $600-1,000+
• Winnipeg, MB $600-1,000+
• Waterloo, ON $600-1,000+
• Toronto, ON $800-1,500+
• Niagara, ON $800-1,500+
• Montreal, QC $800-1,500+
• Moncton, NB $600-1,000+
• Charlottetown, PE $600-1,000+
• Halifax, NS $600-1,000+
• St. John’s, NL $600-1,000+

**BEWARE of people charging less than these prices!  They are undercutting the industry and it is usually due to a lack of experience or training.

FULL CORDINATION
Description of Service: This service is for couples who would like a wedding coordinator working with them throughout the entire wedding planning process.
Cost:

• 10-15% of your total wedding budget is the average cost of a wedding planner.
• They may charge using the percentage model or they may charge a flat fee.  Flat fees for Full Coordination are $2,500-5,500, based on area and experience.
• If you require the design services of your wedding coordinator, you will also be charged a “Design Fee” as well.

BEWARE of people charging less than these prices!  They are undercutting the industry and it is usually due to a lack of experience or training.  There have been many scams recently where “professionals” have offered rock-bottom pricing in order to secure clients and then closed up shop before the clients’ weddings, taking their money with them.