Posted by: Always Planned

So in the midst of all of this FABULOUS planning, you are fielding calls from cousins, friends, long lost family and so many others asking about where to book their rooms, directions to the church and who is in your wedding…. Ok… NOW BREATHE!!! There is a solution and it’s as easy as sending that phone call to voicemail!

The wedding industry is forever evolving with the times and thanks to that little piece of technology we call the “internet”, we have SOO many resources at our disposal at the click of a button!

One of my favorites would have to be the ever-popular trend of the Personalized Wedding Website! Whether you have a very cute, basic Free site or if you splurge a little on the high tech: video, music, full on production site, your website is a great resource to use as the answer to all of those many, many questions! Freeing up your time for more snuggling and enjoying these next few months!

WeddingWire has an AMAZING FREE option with tons of beautiful designs that correspond with beautiful invitations! They even have Vera Wang paper and Martha Stewart Weddings pages!

The Knot gives you two great options: A FREE site with all the info you can imagine: including your love story, Hotel Room information with links, Directions to the Church and Reception and your own virtual guest book! OR the high tech version, which has a small monthly or yearly fee, that includes unlimited photos, music and video uploads and much more!

You can find these sites in many different places with a simple google search, it’s all about finding the one that fits you the most!

Get creative!!! As one of our fabulous brides has done recently, you can get online and make small business card magnets with their names, the date and their website to put in each envelope with their invites! Or even send it as a cute save the date! It is also a great way to put your registry out there without being too obvious! Hehe Wouldn’t it be easy for them to just click and shop?? I mean they are already online!

The Wedding Website can be a fun resource for you and your fiancé to share your love story and your journey to the altar! Get creative! Have fun! And send me any cute ideas you end up with!!!

Happy Planning! XOXO

Posted by: Always Planned

Well Hello All!

I have seriously been lacking in my blogging skills in the last few weeks and I am SO SORRY! We have had quite a few busy weeks here at Always Planned, meeting with fabulous brides, planning for so many more and of course a gorgeous Style Shoot thrown in there as well! I can’t complain though, this has been the best few months of my life and I can’t wait to be a part of the beautiful weddings we have already for next year!

On to more fabulous business, my topic of the day: ESCORT CARDS!!

Last week, I sat down to put the finishing touches on the place cards for our upcoming wedding and I just fell in love with the creativity that is our Scrabble place cards!! Escort cards, an escort card display and place cards are a fun way to create a cute party favor, add a little bit of your “couple style” in the details or tell a cute story!

If you have considered having a seating chart for your wedding, think about the things that mean the most to you and your man! For instance, one of our wonderful grooms proposed using Scrabble tiles! Rayna worked her creative magic and now, 115(ish) place cards later, we have a fabulous Escort Card Scrabble board and a place setting, personalized for each guest that they can keep as a momento of that special day! For another one of our beautiful brides, travel and planes in particular hold a special meaning in her heart and we are going to have fabulous vintage 3D planes for her escort card table!

The sky is (literally) the limit! I can’t stress enough that your wedding day is meant to be a glimpse into the love that you two share, a way for you to show your family what your lives together will be forevermore! While traditions and the “norm” can sometimes cloud our decisions, it can be so meaningful and special to come up with some fun ways to incorporate yourselves into your day, even in the smallest details! It’s all about you all!

Happy Planning!

Posted by: Always Planned

After seeing so many great ideas that have transformed the traditional Guest Book, I just really wanted to share some fun ideas that may be able to help you get the creative juices flowing for your own wedding!

The Guest Book has been a wedding staple for decades but many modern brides are hesitant to simply place out a signature book that they know will be placed in a box later and possibly forgotten about in the process. Your guests are a HUGE part of your wedding, you have invited each of these family members and friends to be a part of your love story and the guest book is a great way to remember all of the wonderful support and love you both have from them.

The good news is, if the traditional signature guest book is not for you, many creative minds have been at work and new, fun, inventive keepsakes are slowly taking its place. At a wedding I went to in June, the bride and groom had chosen a guest interactive approach and given each guest a fun page to fill out with wishes, your own drawing of the bride and groom and special memories you had of them! After the wedding, she was able to put each of them in a beautiful scrapbook and they were able to share some fun laughs as a couple reading over them weeks later! Last week, Sarah and Ron chose to have their guests sign decorative plates that can be mounted on the wall or displayed somewhere in their home with well wishes and encouragement that will remind them of that special day they shared with all of their loved ones!

The guest book can be as traditional or as creative as you would like, but I encourage you to look into other ideas and find the one that best fits your personalities. Find something you can have for years to come that won’t just sit in a box, but will be a daily reminder of the love and support your friends and family have for the two of you during this next journey in your lives together!!!

Happy Planning!

Posted by: Always Planned

It’s finally here!!! Simply Love Studio is holding its Fall 2011 Extreme Venue Hop NEXT Sunday, October 16th!! The Venue Hop will take place from 1pm to 6pm and will begin at The Carrick House.

Venue Hop is the perfect event for Brides, Grooms, Friends and Family to come and see some of Lexington’s most beautiful venue’s in all of their Wedding Glory! We have some fabulous vendors taking part this year including Gold Shield Transportation who will be providing fabulous transportation for you and your guests! Don’t forget the scrumptious food and drinks provided by these wonderful vendors at each venue!

Follow the link here and sign up for the Venue Hop! Early Registration is $15 per person but as a special limited time offer, if you use the discount code: BBS you will receive $10 off each ticket which means it’s only $5 DOLLARS A PERSON right now!!!

Email us or give us a call at 859.317.9023 if you have any questions!

Have a beautiful day & Happy Planning!

Posted by: Always Planned

There are many traditions in the wedding world that are changing and being updated as each decade passes, but there is one that seems to remain true to form: The time honored tradition of that Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue!! Today I thought I would share a few of my favorite things that would be excellent representations of this special tradition and what I found out each item symbolizes in the process! I have heard of this many times but never knew the true significance of each piece!

The meaning of the Tradition:

Something Old: This is meant to represent the link between the bride and her family!!

Something New: Represents good luck and success and hopes for a bright and beautiful future!!

Something Borrowed: This piece is to remind the bride that her friends and family will be there for her in the future and on her special day!

Something Blue: In ancient times, this represented the symbol of Faithfulness, Purity and Loyalty!

I hope some of these cute ideas will help inspire you to find the little things that mean the most to you! This tradition is meant to wish you luck, remind you that your family (Past, Present and Future) is holding you up and guiding you through this next Beautiful Chapter of your life!