Welcome Stephanie

This is a little overdue but Jen and I are so excited to welcome Stephanie Smith officially as a planner to the celebrate! team. Some of you probably already know Stephanie as my hard working assistant, but now she has moved up to one of our elite planners at celebrate! She has worked numerous weddings with us and has proved to be an exceptional planner, organizer, and event designer. We feel so blessed to have Stephanie on our team.

Here's her very first inspiration board, don't you just love it!!!

Wedding Flowers

While picking out your wedding flowers, it might be nice to know the symbolic meaning behind each flower that you choose. A neat idea is to select a flower whose meaning matches your bridesmaid's personality. You could give each bridesmaid a different signature flower to make her bouquet more individual and special, with a note explaining what that particular flower means.

Here are some example:

Amaranthus: constancy and fidelity

Amaryllis: pride, pastoral beauty

Chrysanthemum: happiness and long life

Chrysanthemum (white): truth

Chrysanthemum (yellow): secret admirer

Chrysanthemum (red): love

Daffodil: respect, good fortune, chivalry

Daisy: innocence, loyal love, purity

Forget-Me-Not: faithful love and memory

Iris: faith and wisdom

Ivy: affection

Lilac: first love

Lily: purity and sweetness

Orchid: love and beauty

Peony: happiness and prosperity

Rose: love and desire

Tulip: true love

Violet: modesty

Zinnia: thoughts of friends

Wedding Lingo

If you're not completely up-to-date on all the wedding lingo, here is a cheat sheet for you to follow.

BP: Bridal Party

DW: Destination Wedding

FBIL: Future brother-in-law

FFIL: Future father-in-law

FG: Flower Girl

FH: Future Husband

FMIL: Future mother-in-law

FOB: Father of the bride

FOG: Father of the groom

GM: Groomsmen

GP: Grandparent

MOB: Mother of the bride

MOG: Mother of the groom

MOH: Maid of Honor

RB: Ring bearer

Although you may not use this "cheat sheet" often during your wedding planning, I thought that they were kinda fun to know :)

Fall Weddings

Since fall is my favorite season, I decided to put together some awesome fall wedding photos for you. 

Fun facts: 

• 14% of weddings take place in September, which is the most popular month for weddings.
  
• 12% take place in October, the third most popular month for weddings.
• 6% of weddings take place in November

Fun Wedding Favors!

Ohh lala!! I just discovered a new wedding favor that is fun, unique & taste great! Sweet Treats is a bakery that specializes in wedding cakes & gourmet cookies. The ower, Jennifer Yeomans-Christy, brought in some of her adorablely delcious wedding favors for Jenna & I to try. Not only do her cookies taste amazing, they are an inexpensive favor that can be customized for each bride. I absolutely love the idea. Jennifer designs, bakes and individually packages each cookie.

Here are a few examples of the different designs:

Wedding Dresses


Wedding Cakes

Final Product!

Samantha's Graduation Party

This past weekend Jen and I planned a wonderful Gator themed graduation party for Sam. The party was dressed in orange and blue with gator heads all around. The celebration was a success and Sam had a wonderful time.

We wish Sam many blessings as she heads off the University of Florida. GO GATORS!

New Wedding Photo Trends

Want to get creative with your wedding photos? Here are some new trends you might like to try.

1. Be the favors- have your photo imprinted on cookies and leave one at each place setting.

2. Head to the city- engagement cityscape shoots are becoming more & more popular. Use your favorite photo in your save-the-dates or display it near the escort cards.

3. Ditch the formality- ask your photographer to get candids of you & your bridal party. 

4. Rent a photo booth- have guests tape the silly shots next to their messages in the guest book.

5. Book 'em- skip the traditional photo album and create a coffee table book with your wedding photos.

Tip: when archiving your photos and negatives, choose acid-free boxes, negative-sleeves, and binders. This will keep your special photos from yellowing or deteriorating.

Welcome Kendall and Trevor

Welcome Kendall and Trevor to the celebrate! family. We are so very excited to help you plan your dream wedding.

FUN FACTS ABOUT THESE LOVEBIRDS:

worked at the same company and Kendall actually was Trevor's assistant in the beginning

first official date on Feb. 15 2005

bought their first house in June 2008

HUGE sports buffs

Trevor is a Gator and Kendall is a Seminole

love to travel and to eat out at fun restaurants

big wine lovers

THE PROPOSAL (according to Kendall):

I was on my way home from work on a Tuesday evening and Trevor called to say hi and see where I was. I told I would be home in 15 min or so. He said ok, cool and that he would just see me at home and that he was just leaving the office.....which is a 20-25 min drive for him.

So, I'm coming down the main road in the neighborhood and I see someone run across the road in front of my car and I realize that it's Trevor. I remember thinking to myself, "what's he doing? Didn't he just say he was leaving the office"? Needless to say, I was very confused. I rolled down the window and asked him what he was doing and he started up about how he hates his car and how he had to take it to Firestone up the street on his way home and that was why he was walking. He seemed pretty pissed so I didn't ask any questions, I just drove home. We pulled in the driveway and he went to go and get the mail and then we walked up to the front door. I could see something through the glass in the door but couldn't tell what it was.

He opened the door and there were a bunch of lit tea lights shaped in the number 17 (it is my favorite number and it was actually February 17th) There was a bouquet of tulips (fav flower) and a bottle of champagne on the coffee table as well. I knew then what was going on! I started laughing/crying and then he got down on one knee and proposed. I of course said YES and then he tried to put the ring on the wrong hand.....too classic and so HIM!!

Afterwards I found out that I had blown his surprise. He didn't actually have car issues but that he had moved his car down the street so that when I got home, I would think that no one was there. I would then open the door to all of the candles and he would be there down on one knee. However, I came home a different way that night and at the split second he was crossing the road, my car comes right at him....completely blowing his plan. Poor thing...but makes for a cute story though!!

All About Bridesmaids

Make both you & your bridal party happy by following these tips while selecting your bridesmaids.

1. Consider friends with whom you're in touch with regularly, who live close by, and who are team players.

2. Aim for having 6 bridesmaids or less

3. Try to choose your bridesmaids within the first 3 to 6 months and ask everyone at about the same time so no one feels last.

4. Ask each bridesmaid individually and do it with style- maybe give her a "bridesmaid" tank top or an accessory that matches your wedding colors.

5. Be upfront with close friends who were not invited to be bridesmaids. Saying "As a couple, we've decided on a more intimate bridal party" will work.

6. Confront any problems that arise as soon as possible.

7. Say thank you! Treat your bridesmaids to a festive brunch & give each person a thoughtful gift.

Funny Favors

One of our brides sent us this hilarious idea for wedding favors. They are moustaches on-a-stick that would be fun to use for photos and just messing around. Weddings don't always have to be serious, and this is a perfect way to incorporate a little fun.