Autumn Themed Centerpiece Idea

Instead of the traditional wicker cornucopia basket for your Thanksgiving feast, consider using uniquely shaped glass vases for your seasonal fruits and veggies. You can further enhance your centerpieces with bunches of grapes coated with edible glitter to create a fun (and tasty) shimmer on your holiday table.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Website Update with Tips and New Features. Check it out!

The My Wedding Planner Rocks! website has been enhanced with new features.


Regularly scheduled weekly updates will contain news, tips, vendor spotlights and a variety of destination wedding locations. In addition, once a month, a spotlight wedding or engagement will tell the story of a magical event in the making. Are you interested in having your wedding featured or your services reviewed? Let us know!

For convenience, a payments tab has also been added to assist clients who wish to pay by credit card and earn those fabulous reward miles toward a honeymoon. What could be better?

Wedding Budgets from Two Thousand to Two Million: Make it work for you!

Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinksy are tying the knot next weekend. After the discounts and freebies they’ll receive in exchange for insurmountable publicity, the Clintons will still reportedly pay-out a whopping 2 million dollars for the affair. All I can say is… wow.

If you are not a former president’s daughter, how much should you spend on your wedding? Well, that all depends. First and foremost, decide on the elements that are most important to you and choose the right vendors to make it happen.

Food and beverage will usually take up a pretty hefty percentage of your wedding budget. Buffet selections generally cost more than plated dinners. Many brides have told me that they originally thought it was the other way around. Not so. If you want to save some money, select a plated dinner. Besides, you probably won’t be eating much on your wedding day, anyhow.

Prices can vary greatly on everything from musicians to centerpieces. Know what your budget is when you meet with your vendors and share that information with them, right from the start. It’s only natural to want to keep that knowledge to yourself and see what vendors come up with, but 9 out of 10 times, the quote will be higher than you ever anticipated. So, be up front and let the vendors make suggestions based on your wedding budget. When you have the right people in place, you can’t go wrong.

Don’t forgo the finishing touches for the sake of saving a small amout of money on your wedding budget. In the end, the details are what will make the overall look of the reception stand out. For example, a few extra dollars per person for a fresh flower on a napkin may not seem all that important; however, when a hundred or so place settings are garnished with it, the entire room takes on a completely different ambiance.

When the music is great, so is the reception. One thing guests always remember is the overall experience. It’s not a good sign if people are sitting around the table, making small talk, waiting for the cutting of the cake so they can go home. Hiring the right band or DJ for your crowd is crucial to the overall tone of the event. Your wedding should rock and everyone should feel inspired to celebrate with you on the dance floor. Great music will do just that.

Your wedding budget doesn’t need to hit the six or seven figure mark to guarantee a spectacular affair. In fact, whatever the magic number is, you can have your own social event of the season with some careful planning and diligent research.

Sometimes More is ... Less

The flowers you choose for your wedding determine the size, and cost, of your centerpieces. Simple doesn't always mean less expensive.

The economic situation over the past few years has changed the trend of wedding design. Centerpieces that used to be tall, opulent, and over the top became simplistic and architectural in design with minimal flowers. But now that the economy is slowly starting to recover, larger centerpieces are making a comeback.

Enter --- value.

Floral designers are loving the trend and want to make sure it lasts, so many have changed their pricing structure, offering more product for a fraction of the cost compared to years prior. Don't get me wrong, nobody is giving away the farm; but vendors are willing to negotiate to secure the business and promote future business by showing off their creative work.

When florists buy in bulk, it reduces their per-stem cost. For example, lets say you choose a tall glass cylinder with a single cymbidium orchid stem submerged under water and topped with a floating candle. Surround it with some candles and scatter rose petals around the base. Pretty - but basic, right? For the same cost, you can have a full arrangement with roses, dendrobium orchids and hydrangea. This is possible because the florist, at wholesale pricing, can purchase 2-3 dozen roses for same price as 1 cymbidium orchid stem! Definitely something to think about when choosing simplicity for the sake of cutting costs.

Break-away Bouquets

Instead of tossing one bouquet, how about 3? or 6? It's very easy to do and lots of fun when you have a moderate-sized group of single female guests. Simply hand-tie small 'mini bouquets' together to create one large gather. The grouping is then loosely tied with bridal ribbon. When the bouquet is released, several mini bouquets are dispersed into the crowd - so more of your friends are able to walk-away with the lucky flowers.

On the other hand, if you find that most of your friends and family are already married and you would prefer not to toss a bouquet, you can still create the break-away bouquet and present the mini bundles to the special women in your life as a symbol of love and appreciation.

www.myweddingplannerrocks.com

Well, things are happening fast and furious around here! While there are still a lot of additions to be made in the next coming weeks, the website is up and running. Check it out!

My Wedding Planner Rocks!

After fourteen years with Deco Productions / Grande Affaires and a year at ME Productions, Lori Smith launches My Wedding Planner Rocks! - a full service wedding planning and coordination company where expertise in the industry is coupled with unparalleled service and meticulous attention to detail.

Over the years, Lori Smith has planned and produced hundreds of weddings and fine floral events of all sizes - from traditional to contemporary, Catholic to Indian to Orthodox.

As a full-time wedding planner and coordinator, Lori is able to dedicate her time and attention to one of the most important days of a bride and groom’s life – while they live it!

Customized packages can be arranged to suit the needs of every individual client, from day of (month of) coordination to full service planning.

For more information, to schedule a consultation, or check date availability, please contact me by email at: myweddingplanner@att.net or 954-802-0210.

Have an eventful day!

Abby & Bill’s Wedding Beyond the Sea - Destination: Acqualina

Abby and Bill, residents of Minneapolis, decided that early March would be ideal for a South Florida destination wedding, leaving behind the freezing snow of their home state for this memorable affair. With friends and loved ones scattered around the country, guests were invited to Acqualina Resort and Spa on Sunny Isles Beach for a weekend of opulence and luxury in the Florida sunshine.

Although the weather was quite blustery, and a little chilly by South Florida standards, it was paradise for the northerners who spent the morning soaking up the rays while ME Productions was hard at work preparing for the couple’s special event.

The ocean waves and multi-colored skyline created the perfect backdrop for ceremony as the sun began to set. A white gazebo was built with soft white organza enhancements emanating from beds of hydrangea and tulips. A perimeter of the open ceremony area was designed with white floral topped columns that coordinated with the gazebo.

The beautiful bride carried a bouquet of phalanopsis orchids, champagne roses and white tulips with lily grass accents, while bridesmaids carried tailored gathers of champagne roses.

After cocktails, guests enjoyed dinner and dancing to the sounds of Bob Hoose and his Orchestra. Bob Hoose, by the way, sounds remarkably like Frank Sinatra. Seriously. I try to book him every chance I get. He’s a wonderful entertainer - a class act!

The table settings were sophisticated and complimented the Acqualina’s Mediterranean Ballroom. Latte colored textured tablecloths were used and topped with an elegant glass bowl overflowing with white tulips, then surrounded with smaller glass bowls of white tulips and candlelight. White napkins were provided and enhanced with copper beaded napkin rings and a single white tulip at each place setting.

While the dining area of the ballroom was washed with amber toned lighting to enhance the candlelight atmosphere throughout, the all white dance floor and ballroom ceiling was washed with turquoise H20 moving water lights. In this photo, doesn’t it look like Abby and Bill are dancing under water? I love that!

Abby and Bill – thank you. I wish you happiness and paradise 'beyond the sea'.

Special thanks to Manolo Doreste - In Focus Studios for the great photos!

Jaime & Jobe's Wedding at Miami Art Space

First, let me say that Jaime, Jobe and Joan (yes, it’s all about the Js) were an absolute pleasure to work with and I’m honored that they trusted me with such an important day in their lives.

What can I say about Miami Art Space? It’s very cool. Located in the Wynwood Art District, I was a bit apprehensive during my first visit to the location but found myself pleasantly surprised at the possibilities of the palette.

Most important to the bride and groom was to escape the confines of an enclosed ballroom within a crowded hotel on their wedding day. They wanted to bring their guests to a relatively new event venue for a unique experience – and lots of dancing – yet still hold on to some time honored traditions. Miami Art Space was the perfect venue for them.

Instead of the expected plated dinner with over sized dining tables, the couple elected a cocktail style set up which allowed guests to dine in smaller groups, at their leisure, resulting in a jam-packed dance floor all night long! There was certainly no shortage of food, as Bill Hansen’s Catering did a fantastic job with plentiful passed Hors d’oeuvres, multiple sumptuous stations and an amazing bar display. Bill’s Catering is the one of the best in the business!

The décor was brilliant too (if I do say so myself) with white lanterns overhead, white textured pin-tuck linen and chairs, and white internally lit furniture groupings, all of which created a chic and modern look within the venue. Splashes of color from centerpieces in tones of green and orange were each designed differently than the next, alternating the shape of the vases and style of arrangement which added to the uniqueness of Miami Art Space. Live, lush ficus trees around the perimeter were washed with amber LED uplighting, and ferns topped the gallery’s white partitions adding softness to the room. The flowers and décor by ME Productions gave the room a clean, contemporary feel with the right amount of romantic ambiance.

And finally, I have to admit that I absolutely loved the freshly baked cookies from Joan’s own kitchen (she baked 700 of them!) which were beautifully packaged and handed to guests by the valet attendants as each guest prepared to leave in the wee hours of the night. Isn’t that the sweetest?

By the way, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how stunning Jaime looked in her dress. Isn't she gorgeous?

Thank you; Wilco Studio Photography, for the photos!!
Jaime, Jobe and Joan: I wish you all nothing but happiness and joy!