Planning a Wedding: First Lesson Learned

Okay,  so you may have noticed that it's been a while since my last post.  It's not that I haven't had interesting things to tell you about in my planning,  it's just that I was too embarrassed to put it all in writing!  Already, I have had a major reality check in my planning process.  Yes, I have experience in the event industry, but maybe all that was doing was giving me a false sense of security.

When Mark & I got engaged at the end of July and set our date for next fall, I immediately was comforted that I had over a year to plan everything.  Well, instead of taking advantage of the additional time,  I gathered a little bit of information and researched different venues - but it was not enough.  We set a date for our big event, checked some availability of places, and then went to the drawing board on what would work for our needs:
-Is there enough space?
-Is it convenient for guests to locate and get to?
-Do they allow candles, alcohol, outside catering, and any of the other details that are 'make or break' in the decision-making process?

So, we gathered this information, made our decision and called the venue of our choice back with the exciting news!  Well guess what...it had been two months since I had originally checked their availability and now - the date was booked.  This was pretty tough news, since we had already told all of our friends and family that the date was set and now we would need to either go back to the drawing board to choose another venue, or move the date.  Neither was an easy option!

We ended up needing to be armed with more information than I had researched yet.  If we use outside catering, will they provide linens and glassware? How much will it add to rent these items?  Will the rental price of the venue really be a deal if I have to rent to supplement a lot of items?  Who provides what and at what price?  I realized that to start planning anything, I needed to know a lot more about everything.

Suddenly I felt like I knew nothing about the wedding industry.  Where was all my knowledge of budgets and why was everything in Birmingham booking up when we were still 12 months out?!?  Panic started to set in and I knew I needed to move a little faster if I wanted to get the vendors that I liked at the right price for my budget.

So my advice to you is - talk to every vendor that you like - and start early.  Don't be afraid to call and chat with vendors about what you are looking for and be sure to get pricing from all of them!  Knowing as much as possible is going to give you the power and confidence to make better decisions.  Start collecting as much information at the beginning as you possibly can, so that you can make an educated decision - and make it quickly if you are under a deadline.  And of course, set your budget, and try to make room for a professional planner to help you.  Even though I feel comfortable planning events, it's all changed now that it's my wedding and I'm the bride.  Why didn't I believe this when everyone has said it?  It's so much easier to help someone else plan an event! So be sure to enlist help early and don't procrastinate!

Ashley Bat Mitzvah

Feel the Beat Entertainment and the Cool Shots Photo Lounge travelled to Mississippi to celebrate with Ashley and her friends and family for her Bat Mitzvah weekend!  As you walked into the room, it was like you stepped over the rainbow into The Wizard of Oz!  All of the guests got to walk in on the yellow brick road, which ended at none other than a giant, sparkling Emerald City.  There was a variety of scenes from Dorothy's trip all around the room, and the movie played on a big screen throughout the night.  The delicious food was provided by the Embassy Suites Ridgeland and the cake was a towering ode to the land of the Munchkins.

DJ Justin kept everybody on the dancefloor all night with hits from Lady Gaga, Black-Eyed Peas, Train, and even a little old school "Tootsie Roll".  Ashley and her friends loved to dance and so did the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and even Dorothy!  But every once in a while, we turned off the music to check in with Dorothy, although no one seemed to mind since it meant that everybody got a new party prop to dance around with!  Ashley's mom provided hundreds of cool items to make the party even more fun!  You would have thought that these guys had won the lottery with all of the stuff they got at this event!  If you could answer some trivia, you got a prize, if you won one of our games, you got a prize, if you were a 'single lady' you got a prize,  so pretty much everyone got lots of prizes! And once they were worn out from all the dancing there was still a caricature artist, and of course, the Cool Shots Photo Booth!  Thanks for letting us celebrate with you Ashley!

Join us for Girl's Night Out

Feel The Beat Entertainment along with the Cool Shots Photo Lounge will be participating in Girl's Night Out at the new Alfred Angelo Bridal Salon off of Highway 280 on April 15th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.!  Click on the attached link to receive $20 off of each of your bridesmaid's dresses.  Also, the first 50 guests will receive free gift bags.  Come indulge in complimentary consultations, beauty services, and tasty treats while meeting with professional stylists and wedding experts!

Alfred Angelo Bridal

Date: April 15, 2010

Address: 3000 Cahaba Village Plaza

Birmingham, AL

Phone: (205) 970-6923

Linda & Harriet Moose Lovelies

Linda & Harriet Moose Lovelies: "



I am loving all the moose items over on the Linda & Harriet site for the holidays. Go check them out!  Although, I think these are mainly for Christmas gifts, this is such a great example of how to tie a theme into various parts of your wedding.  Start with a basic image used on your printed materials - invitations, save-the-dates, etc - and carry it on throughout the events with it recurring in the placecards at the rehearsal dinner, a theme for the cake table, or incorporate it into the favors.  It creates a great unity and ties everything in to your special day!

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Epic Save-the-Date

If you are looking for some fresh ideas on what to send out for a save-the-date, the newest trend is to send them electronically.  This gives you the opportunity to work with your photographer, videographer, or just some creative friends to create a save-the-date that is truly unique.   I've seen a few video save-the-dates on YouTube but today I found one that is really a work of art.  I can not imagine the amount of hours that went into putting together a trailer like this but it truly will be something that they treasure for a lifetime.

See it for yourself here - Jeff & Erin's Wedding Trailer

Movie Night at Royal Oaks & OPL Game Show

Last week we had two events that were really great!  The first was a movie night at Royal Oaks with my good friend, Mary.  She is always looking for something to keep the residents at her apartment property happy!  So she decided to take advantage of this lovely fall weather and have a movie night out on the tennis courts.  She teamed up with Feel the Beat to have an outdoor screening of Twilight.  It was such a great event!  They blacked out the fencing around the tennis court to block out lights and distractions, and also some wind, which I thought was such a cool idea.  Then there was pizza, hot chocolate, popcorn, & cookies for everyone to snack on.  There was even a raffle for a free month's rent!  The turn-out was great and I think everyone had so much fun snuggling up in their chairs and blankets, munching on snacks, and enjoying a movie right in their own backyard!  Big thanks to Mary & Regina at Royal Oaks for putting everything together!

The other event that night was an over-the-top fun game night for Optical Prescription Lab!  These guys know how to throw a party!  Even their meetings incorporated the game show fun.  They had name tags just like the ones on Price is Right and they gave away prizes all night!

Who wouldn't want to attend that event?!  Feel the Beat provided classic game show set pieces and also a huge set for our own game show!  There was Wheel of Fortune, Price is Right, $20,000 Pyramid, Family Feud, and Hollywood Squares.  Then we played Family Feud and Jeopardy games with the whole group after dinner.  This group was such a blast!  They have some genuinely fun-loving people that they work with and it made it a lot of fun.

Get with the Program!

If you are looking for an easy way to add some creativity into your wedding ceremony, there are tons of ways to play up your program!   The program is a great guide for guests to know what to expect during the ceremony, but it can also convey theme, formality, and a little bit of personality!

I loved these 'ribbon' folded programs pictured to the left!  How clever to just use the way the program is folded to make a statement!  The color is gorgeous and I can imagine it makes a stunning presentation to have them all stacked at the entrance to your venue.

Are you serving a delicious dish at the reception?  Include the recipe in the program, and your guests leave with more than just a favor.  If it's a family recipe be sure to give credit!  Personalize it even more by including a short explanation of why you and your fiancee love the dish or how it came to be a family favorite!

Sweet like Honey

Looking for a sweet favor for your guests?  Try local honey!

This sweet treat has been used for centuries, not only for its sugary flavor, but for its healing power.  Honey has a long and interesting history from being the most popular medicine in Ancient Egypt to being used to treat wounds in the first World War.  Wrap up a little bit of local honey for your guests and you will send them home with a unique treat that helps them build immunity to the allergens in your area!

Dress up the jars by matching the theme and colors of your wedding day.  Small squares of fabric tied with twine lend a rustic feel to the honey jars pictured above.   Adding a little label with your monogram and the date of the wedding, personalizes them, and easy enough to do yourself!

Bless the Broken Road

I found a wedding idea today that I just love! It was featured on Laura Hooper Calligraphy, a green invitation company located in LA (no not Lower Alabama!). She creates Emotional Maps for couples that show the journey of their lives, when they met, and dates that have been important in the relationship. What a wonderful way to share some of the more personal highlights of you and your fiancee's courtship with all of your friends and family!  You could also use this idea to map out the locations of all the events that are taking place on your wedding weekend.  Check out the website for more ideas for using the map for save-the-dates, programs, or just on display at the reception!

Green Tip of the Day: Use local, seasonal flowers

Did you know that there are 2.5 million weddings a year in the United States, with an average of more than 150 guests each.  When you add up all of the stuff that goes into weddings (single-use bleached white dresses, chemically treated imported flowers, toxic makeup and skin care products, mined gem-based jewelry, individual packets of rice, etc.) you see that the environmental impact from these events is enormous.


Going green for your wedding day may not be as difficult as you might think.  There are hundreds of things that you can do to cut down your wedding day's impact on the environment and every little bit helps!  


Today's tip is to talk to your florist about using local flowers.  Flowers that do not have to be transported long distances have less of an ecological impact and flowers that are in season during your wedding will already be a perfect match with the season of your event.  You can even take it a step further and re-purpose old teapots like the ones shown in the picture to use as centerpieces that will benefit not only the earth, but also your wallet!


For more green wedding tips, check out The Green Bride Guide at http://www.thegreenbrideguide.com/