Happy New Year from Sparkle! Parties & Events

2011 was quite a year and I can't thank you all enough for the opportunities either as a new client, vendor or a fantastic supporter.  Words can't express enough how grateful I am for your continued support and referrals it makes what I do little easier and I am so honored to have played a small part in your celebrations, THANK YOU!!!

Happy New Year!  I hope your Holidays were filled with great times with family and friends and you welcomed 2012 in big way.  I love new beginnings and this Holiday season I was not alone in the thought.  It appears that love was definitely in the air and I wish to extend my congratulations to all the newly engaged couples! (not to mention all of the celebrity engagements, from the Queen of Soul, Ms. Aretha Franklin, Stephen Tyler, John Legend to Lebron James and list continues to grow.) 

Photo Credit: Donald Darling

Honestly, I love to hear that so many people still believe in true love and it'll be great to see all that 2012 holds for celebrity weddings but we'd love to hear your story!  Your story is just as noteworthy.  What an amazing new journey for you in 2012!  So let's talk...How did he pop the question???

Cheers to your 2012 and I hope it is filled with lots of Sparkle!

Leslie

Tips to Planning Your Wedding With Ease



Photo Courtesy of OneWed



"Wedding season is just around the corner and we are ready to talk all about your wedding!"

Join us every Wednesday (aka "Wedding Wednesday") as we open our FaceBook discussion board to your wedding planning questions.  From addressing invitations to preparing for your honeymoon, let us help get you to the alter with ease.

Not sure where to start your planning?  Overwhelmed by your checklist? Have some last minute questions about your Spring/Summer wedding?

Make sure your special day is a fab wedding to-do and not a blah wedding don't.  Join our FB page for awesome tips on how to be a bride who can truly kick her heels up!

Talk to you soon xoxo!

BEFORE YOU SAVE YOUR DATE...

We heard that you said YES!!!

  PICK YOUR BRIDAL PARTY?  PURCHASE YOUR WEDDING FAVORS?

HEAD TO THE BRIDAL SALON TO FIND THE DRESS OF YOUR DREAMS?

Yes, there are lots of wonderful details that need to be taken care of as you begin to plan your most treasured day but are you unsure where you should start?

Before you do anything:

1. SET A BUDGET - One of the most difficult parts of wedding planning is developing a budget.  Plain and simple weddings are expensive and costs can easily spiral out of control faster than you think. So I can't express enough how significant it is to be honest about how much you can really afford to spend.  Keep in mind that you must begin your married life after your wedding day.  So set a realistic budget and a plan of action of how to meet the financial goals.

2. GUEST LIST - Now that you have set your budget, it's time to create your guest list. Make sure that you can really afford the number of people that you continue to add to your list.  Remember this is the fastest way to exceed your budget. 

Lengthy guest list = Greater food and beverage costs!

3. DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVE - Seems a little odd but more couples should sit down to determine what's important for each other for their wedding day. Would you like a traditional ceremony? Intimate or elaborate reception? DJ or band?(yes, it's your groom's special day too so be sure to listen to his input to help create a wedding that's especially yours!) 

Trust me, I am in no way trying to throw a wrench in your newly engaged bliss but it would be a disadvantage to you and me if we don't discuss the difficult parts first.  After you've made some solid decisions then we can work on your Sparkle!

Wedding Planning...grooms can do it too!

Isn't it his day too? What if your groom wants to do more than pick his own tux?

Once I accompanied a young couple for their tasting. We sat down at a beautifully appointed table.  The server provided the preselected courses for the couples review and we began to confirm the preferred choices for the final menu selection when all of a sudden the bride becomes completely unglued.  Why you ask?  As best I can tell the groom had the audacity to select his choice of accompaniment for his entrée selection. “You can’t have the rice! It’s my wedding and we will be having garlic mashed potatoes and that’s final!” Are you serious? What is the harm in allowing your groom to make a choice or two? Yes, I know “my groom says it’s my day and he doesn’t care or he keeps messing up the two things I asked him to do already.”

More often than not, your groom will not be as excited about the wedding planning as he is about making you is wife.  Lately, there have been a growing number of grooms who want to take a more active role in planning the big day (with a handful taking complete control over the planning but that’s still few and far between so ladies don’t become totally unglued yet:-) What better way to begin your new life than to have dual participation for such a special day. So for grooms who want to take a more active role but have no clue where to start there are lots of great sites just for you. One of my favorites is the http://www.themanregistry.com/, it's a fantastic online resource that offers grooms guidance and advice on everything related to wedding planning (from how to select the perfect engagement ring to resources for planning the honeymoon) and all from a man's point of view.

So ladies you have no reason to cringe when your groom says he wants to help out more with your special day but just in case you're still not having that:

The Man Registry - Groom's Guide to Dealing with Bridezilla

Best wishes,

Leslie