Sunflowers and brown-eyed susans. Sunflowers are annuals: they have to be planted every year. Brown-eyed susans, which almost outdo the neon gold of sunflowers, and which are a little like smaller and more daisy-fied sunflowers, are perennials. Not only do they NOT have to be re-planted, they have to be held back or you will have fields of them. (Not …

We’ve all heard the terms, “Quiet on the set! Roll sound… and action!”  This is what the director says as s/he records a movie or TV scene.  Well, your wedding is a special production and these 3 items are very much in play during the exchange of vows and the reception. Let’s break it down.  During the ceremony the guests are …

When Keith and Ashley got married this month, he played the guitar and sang a song to his bride (he’s in a band) – at which point he took her in his arms and they segued into their First Dance. By that time it didn’t really matter whether either of them could dance, because what guests would always remember was …

Back from vacation, feeling renewed… It involved some nation-hopping, and seeing a bride and groom getting a few wedding pix snapped in front of the Eiffel Tower led to a thought—how do couples in other countries get married?? There’s no shortage of answers on the internet, but we’re guessing you don’t have a lot of time these days to go …

Early on in your wedding plans, you’re going to have to decide how to start spreading the news and asking people to share your happiness with you. Which brings us to the Three Faces of Americans today. You’ve got your great-grandmas and grandpas, who expect a fancy invitation approximately 3 inches thick in the mail… the thing that arrives and takes …

Weddings are tailor-made for the OCD among us… all made up as they are, not just of frothy fabric and champagne fizz, but also of endless hundreds of details. The compulsive list-maker thrives in this setting. The woman who takes a more “Hakuna Matata” attitude may find herself dying by a thousand cuts—cuts made by little things forgotten or overlooked. …

Hi again. So, I guess it’s no secret that weddings with a theme are hot. (As in, somewhere beachy.) Or not hot (as in, say, underwater.) That last theme is not too common. The first theme has become so common that it’s almost passé. Destination weddings, however, rage on, popular as ever! A themed wedding doesn’t have to mean airline …

In the old Paul Newman movie Cool Hand Luke, there’s a famous line delivered with heavy sarcasm: “What we have here, is a failure to communicate.” Sarcasm aside, it is so important for a bride to communicate with the people charged with capturing the big day on camera. (We’re going on talking about the videographer, but much of it applies …

Yes, we know.  Say “I do”, set the date, and suddenly you’re having more meetings than the Secretary of State.  Meet with the venue. Meet with the caterer. Meet about the dress.  Meet about the OTHER dresses.  Meet with the florist, meet with the DJ, meet meet meet.  We feel your pain, we really do. We also know that, as we …

The Internet is full of lists of “Questions to Ask Your Videographer.”  There’s an aspect to it though that really isn’t a question – it’s a feeling. Do you “click”?  (Also important with your photographer – which I just had to say so’s not to waste a perfectly good pun.) Never, ever assume that lining up a videographer for your …

A year to plan it, 1 minute to capture it… and the memory can last a lifetime. The first look is often one of the most cherished parts of a wedding video. Imagine this: a bride is magically transformed into a princess, walks down the long path to the reveal, and the soon-to-be life long partner sees her for the …

Unless you’re one of those people whose face is sort of built-in smiley (you know, who are NEVER caught on cam with their eyes closed or looking like they’ve just been arrested?), chances are you don’t go around all day every day exposing your pearly whites to the max.  Spoiler alert:  as a bride, you’ll be expected to. It works like this: First, you spend …

The goal of planning a wedding is to make it what you’ve dreamed of.  To make it beautiful. And meaningful. And fun. You don’t dream, after all, about the stuff that fills up YouTube. In short, you want your wedding to be perfect.  And we’ve all been to the ones that aren’t.   Here are 3 tips to help assure your wedding isn’t the next …

For the wedding that’s more sophisticated than the rustic country wedding, but more laid-back than the ultra-formal… the combination of white, brushed nickel or aluminum, and wood. Bridesmaids in navy. Bright navy says “spring” (and even summer) while still saying “elegant and classy”. Navy is happier and less formal than black. It flatters almost everyone, which your posse will appreciate. …

St. Patrick’s Day season leads to thoughts of green, which leads to thoughts of money, which is probably much on your mind as you plan your wedding. When Kelsey Rakers took time out from planning her big day to write an article about it for McHenry County Magazine, she began with a national average: “The average American wedding today costs …

Your wedding day is a reflection of who you are and who you’ll become from this day forward.  It’s about you! Wedding traditions change and evolve, and one we’re seeing taking precedence with brides is the pre-ceremony prep. Nothing captures this part of the big day like video. THE ARTISTRY BEGINS… Your makeup. Your hair. Makeup and hair for your …

I came across a book about American weddings of long ago and came up with an idea that, in 2017, would be COMPLETELY fresh and $$-slashing!  Couples used to be married either 1) in church or 2) at home. (Don’t panic, especially if you’re Mom scouring for ideas and reading this. Not suggesting throwing open your house like “Father of the Bride”.)  The …

So the groom who fails to show up is the stuff of nightmares… and the bride who skips made a lot of money for the Dixie Chicks. But what happens when everyone comes to the wedding but the minister?  Not too long ago we witnessed this happen.  Just when we thought we’d seen it all…  The guests were there, the food …

Back in grad school I was offered a teaching assistantship. My field was music: the subject I was given to teach was business communications… …a subject I knew less than zero about. But I needed the money. And staying one chapter ahead of my students, I learned a concept that has helped me every single day since.  It was called …

Shoes. Dorothy, Shaq, Blahnik, Cinderella… A little word evoking everything in the way of  thoughts, memories, desires… and concerns. What’s a bride to do?? Since glass slippers are pretty much out, you’re basically down to 3 choices for your wedding wear:  gloriously glitzy, classically plain, or downright comfortable. We just saw a bride wearing wildly colored sports socks (as did …