Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm off to the Big Apple today for an exciting wedding filled weekend with Preeti of Preeti Exclusive Creations! I'll have pictures and stories to share next week when I return.

Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Bliss & That

Today the Bliss & That blog officially turns 1!

I can't believe an entire year has gone by already. I'm so happy to be able to share this important milestone with you! In honor of our Big "1st" Birthday we thought we'd do a little contest! As you know, we at Bliss & That, love the little details, unique touches and beautiful decor that really brings everything together at a wedding. We're asking you to share your most favorite detail, personal touches or decor items that you think really make a wedding. At the end of the contest we'll pick 5 lucky winners and share some of our favorite treats, shopping splurges and other fun stuff with you.

Here are the official rules:

Contest dates: Beginning today March 25th and ending on April 1st (that's no joke either! hee hee).

Who: You - our Bliss & That readers (brides, planners, anyone can join in)

Where: Right here at Bliss & That

Why: Because it's fun and we're celebrating. We'd ultimately like to showcase our favorites from your comments and submissions. Yay!

Prizes: Include gift cards from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream (have no worries - they ship anywhere in the US!), A beautiful treat box from Pistacia Vera, an always useful Target Gift Card, a first edition copy of Southern Weddings Magazine just to name a few!

How: Feel free to post comments directly to the blog, and if you've got images to share to accompany your comment please email those to info@blisseventsohio.com.

Photo courtesy of Anne at Pink Cake Box.com

Who's the Big Bad Wolf?

There are tons of blogs that get down on the wedding industry, and especially the Biggest, Baddest Wolf of them all, the evil Wedding Planner. They say we are taking brides for a ride on their "big day" and fueling the trend in Bridezillas, but I really wanted to know what the percentages were for each category, who was making the most money in the industry that is reportedly fueled by greed and self indulgence.

What I found, surprised me and I think it's important to outline EVERYTHING that is included in the SIXTY BILLION DOLLAR a year figure that the wedding industry reportedly pumps back into the economy. The number don't include all the money spent on books, magazines and websites created by the bride and groom. How much can that add? My guess is it's equal to the wedding planning figures.

First off, did you know that in 2006 Wedding Registry was a $20,000,000,000 (TWENTY BILLION) dollar a year industry all by itself? That doesn't take into fact all the people working on the wedding, that is just what people spent on gifts for the bride and all the things the bride & groom asked their guests to buy for them in exchange for an invitation to their wedding. That was in 2006, I cannot locate 2008 figures, but with inflation it is safe to assume that it probably went up by a few million.

So here are the stats and what they include....next time you're picking up that Le Creuset pot and you're anti big bad wedding industry...consider that between registry & reception costs that is just under 50% of the industry right there. Then add in Jewelry and you're at 62%. Those three account for over $49,499,852,691 dollar.

Oh, and the big, bad wedding planner who takes everybody's money? 2%

Update: Full stats are available via .pdf download at the end of the post....

The Wedding Registry $20,000,000,000
All Wedding Registrys Combined $20,000,000,000.00

Ceremony: $3,141,133,867
Aisle Runner $115,651,166
Ceremony Location $2,384,867,234
Other Accessories or Decorations - Ceremony $480,346,606
Ring Pillow or Box $78,853,068
Unity Candle $81,415,793

Entertainment $2,569,755,774
Band at ceremony $98,434,913
Band at reception $392,294,013
Dance lessons $253,709,746
DJ at ceremony $298,765,513
DJ at reception $938,395,316
Musician/s at ceremony $410,079,761
Musician/s at reception $178,076,512

Flowers $2,340,140,022
Boutonnieres, Corsages $227,929,174
Bridal Bouquet $323,823,266
Bridesmaid Bouquets $302,160,576
Ceremony Flower Arrangements $513,683,931
Flower Girl Flowers $130,633,249
Flower Petals $133,546,432
Reception Flower Arrangements $708,363,394

Photography/Video: $4,774,246,617
Engagement Photographer $641,820,166
Engagement Videographer $837,813,848
Wedding Photographer $2,332,736,595
Wedding Videographer $961,876,008

Planner: $1,249,492,573
A La Carte Services $111,839,935
Day-of-Coordinator $178,470,777
For Getting Started $84,241,361
Full Service $722,381,717
Month-of-Direction $152,558,783

Reception: $19,201,663,915
Hotel Room for After Reception $415,511,861
Other Accessories or Decorations - Reception $445,191,280
Reception Bar Service $3,537,983,836
Reception Food Service $5,911,264,050
Reception Location $4,349,841,882
Reception Rentals (Tent, Table, Chairs, Etc.) $2,883,065,299
Reception Table Centerpieces $617,967,113
Toasting Flutes $157,881,365
Wedding Cake $699,842,882
Wedding Cake Topper and Serving Set $183,114,347

Source
Want to see it broken down by category, you can download a very large .pdf Excel Spreadsheet Download Weddingindustry reports

A big Thank You to Sasha Souza, who originally shared this on her blog: Sparkliatti!, for allowing me to repost this to share with our Bliss & That readers! Thanks Sasha!

Wedding Insurance

I always recommend wedding insurance but in light of a few recent occurrences with wedding vendors in Columbus I feel even more strongly that it is necessary to carry this type of insurance these days. Just recently we've had:

• One of our top florists close up shop in the middle of the night with no warning.
• A wedding venue closed due to financial problems. People were left with no wedding venue and lost all of their deposit money with little or no hope of recovering it.

There are several insurance companies that specialize in wedding insurance to help protect yourself against situations like I've mentioned above. If for any reason your wedding has to be cancelled or rescheduled due to an unforeseen circumstance you can be protected. They can also provide liability insurance if your venue or facility requires you to carry this to hold your wedding on their property. For my wedding we were in a museum and we were required to carry $1 Million Liability insurance. I believe we paid around $350 for this coverage - and that was almost 5 years ago. The insurance coverage is pretty inexpensive when you look at the grand total of the amount being spent/invested in the wedding.

Wed Safe and Travelers are the two most common wedding insurance companies. I highly recommend you visit their websites to see how you can protect your self and your wedding investments. It's always better to be safe than sorry in my book!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

In honor of St Patrick's Day I thought this awesome treat from Bakerella (one of my favorite baker/treat blogs) was so perfect to share. If you love Oreos (and who doesn't?) and mint these will be a new favorite treat you won't be able to put down.

Mint Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. Double Stuf Oreos - Cool Mint Flavor - (1 lb. , 1 oz. pkg.)

• use 22 cookies with cream centers included

• use 10 cookies with cream centers discarded

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature chocolate bark or candy coating*

Finely crush the cookies in a food processor or a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.

Stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together completely.

Roll the mixture into 1" balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Place covered in freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes to help retain shape when dipping in melted chocolate.

Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.

Refrigerate and enjoy!

*Or, go green: white chocolate bark/candy coating for dipping green candy melts for dipping

Make your green and/or white shamrocks first (see picture below). You can use a ziploc bag with a small corner cut off or a decorating bag with with a small round tip attached to make the shamrocks. Use a toothpick to direct chocolate into desired shamrock shape. (Of course, in hindsight, this would have been a lot easier if I had found some little shamrock sprinkles.) Let dry.

Then, dip half the truffles in white chocolate and the other half in green.

If necessary, dip them again for a smooth finish. I found it necessary, especially for the white ones.

Then, on the second dipping, while still wet, press your cooled shamrocks gently on the top of your truffles.

For another effect, you can take the ziploc bag of chocolate and drizzle across each truffle with the alternating color.

Accomplice

This has to be the coolest idea for an interactive city tour I've ever seen. I SOOOO want to go and participate in Accomplice in NYC.

What is it you ask?

Part game, part theater, and part tour, Accomplice productions are unlike anything found in a theater, sending its audience on an actual journey through the streets of the city. Armed with a few initial bits of information, participants are sent on a mission, aided by clues and mysterious cast members strewn throughout various locations such as street corners, bars, out of the way shops, and seedy alleys. Audiences in groups of up to 10 traverse the city streets, piecing together clues of a meticulously crafted plot.

The Accomplice sites, naturally are kept secret - it's all part of the fun.

Who's in on it? Who's not? Accomplice is an experience you won't soon forget. "Not enough information," you say? Trust us—the fun is in the surprises.

Each production is a unique adventure, and no previous knowledge of other Accomplice shows is necessary.

There is also an Accomplice Village (which takes place in Greenwich Village) & an Accomplice Hollywood (in West Hollywood).

Anyone want to take a trip to give it a try with me?

Favor Fun - Gumball Machines

Gumball machines! How fun I thought! When I saw these, my mind was just spinning with the possibilities of customizing them. I loved the versatility of the colors they're available in as well as the different color gumballs you could fill them with. Not to mention the ribbon and tag too! Oh the options!

These would be so fun as wedding favors, bar/bat mitzvah favors or a fun addition to a candy buffet. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they are only around $3 each!

Happy Shopping!

Barbie Turns 50!

As a little girl, I loved my Barbie doll and of of my many accessories that came with her. It's hard to believe she's been around for 50 years today. She still looks fabulous after all these years!

Did you know that during NYC Fashion Week last month there was an entire runway show dedicated to her? There were so many designers that contributed to the show. If you have a sec check them out here.

Also, according to my W magazine, Vera Wang is designing a human size Barbie bridal gown, which comes with a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll customized to look like the the bride. I thought it was interesting (and maybe a little creepy). All of this fabulousness can be yours for the bargain price of $25,000.00US. FYI - to all of my jet set brides - this is only available at the Shanghai store.

Happy 50th Birthday Barbie!

Favor Fun - Ococoa

When I saw these chocolates I just knew I had found a little piece of heaven. Ococoa chocolates are 9 brilliant flavor combinations sure to make you smile! I love everything about them - their flavor combinations, their look and of course the packaging.

These would make great favors for a bridal shower, bridesmaids tea or wedding. They are available in 2 or 4 piece boxes. You can select the box color and ribbon color that best coordinates with your color palette.









Happy Shopping!

Bliss Wedding & Events loves Style Me Pretty

I've blogged about Style Me Pretty and their amazing ideas before, but this post is about something a little different. Bliss Weddings & Events has been officially invited as a VIP vendor in the Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book. YAY!!

I'm so thrilled to have the honor of being listed next to some of the best wedding vendors in the country.

Minna Designs

I discovered this wonderful website not too long ago and had to share it with all of our style savvy readers.

Minna Designs specializes in unique, custom design invitations and announcements for all wedding and event correspondence. Minna has a love for art and design as far back as she can remember. Combining her backgrounds in Fine Arts and Graphic Design, she is able to incorporate artistic and creative flair in each and every design project.

Just for Bliss & That readers - you will receive 10% off any design order for the month of March! Be sure to tell Minna that Kasey from Bliss Weddings & Events sent you to receive your discount!

Interviewing a Wedding Planner - My Answers

I wanted to share my answers to the questions I posted yesterday. The answers are current and is something that is constantly changing with each wedding season that passes. I would recommend using questions similar to these when interviewing any of your wedding vendors. It will give you a good measure of each vendor without a flashy website or blog to distract you. Of course spend that face to face interview time to make sure the person you are interviewing really gets your vision and your personalities mesh.

Here we go!...

1. Is wedding planning your only job? Yes, this is my full time job.



2. How many clients do you have right now? 11 weddings and special events are currently being planned.



3. How many weddings have you planned and executed in the last 24 months? We had 10 in the last 24 months that we had the privilege of planning start to finish.



4. How many weddings have you coordinated (wedding day coordination)in the last 24 months? We have had 12 weddings in the last 24 months.



5. Who were the last 4 photographers you worked with?

C Studios

Adam Lowe Photography

Aion Arts

Simon Yao Studios



6. What venues have you worked at in the last 6 months?

The Renaissance Cleveland

The Columbus Athenaeum

The Renaissance Columbus

The Athletic Club of Columbus

The Columbus Museum of Art

The Hyatt on Capital Square



7. Can I get a recommendation from one of your last 4 full service clients? Yes, absolutely.



8. Can I get a recommendation from one of your last 4 coordination clients? Yes absolutely.



9. Where can I see samples of your creative or design work? And are all the pictures on your website weddings that you planned? Yes, we have a very diverse portfolio to share with our prospective clients. Our website and blog are the best places to see our current projects.



Yes, all of the images are from weddings we have been a part of. None of the images you see are stock photos that were purchased or "borrowed" from stock photography sites.



10. Are contracts with vendors with my name or yours? Yes, contracts are in your name. The only time this is an exception is when we are purchasing something available to us as a trade professional for your event.



11. Do you only work with select vendors or at select locations? We do have vendors and companies we prefer to work with. They are companies we have experience working alongside of and are true, qualified professionals in their field. However, we do enjoy working with new vendors if the opportunity presents itself.



12. Have you ever worked for the venues you now plan weddings at? No, my past event planning work experience includes The Walt Disney World Co. As well as the fashion retailer -EXPRESS and national cheer & dance company - AmeriCheer Inc.



13. Do you accept any kick-backs or commissions? No.



14. Do you offer invitation etiquette assistance? Yes.



15. Can I order any products from you, such as linens, invitations, and chairs? Yes, we offer a specialized line of invitations that is very fitting for our clientele. We arrange linen and rentals for a majority of our clients.



16. How quickly can I expect replies to phone calls and emails? We strive to return phone calls and emails with in 24 hours.



17. Do you have assistants that will be helping at my wedding day? How many? Yes, there will be a minimum of 2 of us on site for your wedding. That can vary depending on the size and complexity of the decor and logistics of your event.



18. Will you be on site the entire length of my wedding day? Yes we are there before the ceremony and in most cases (depending on what we've been contracted for) stay until everyone has left for the night. This, too, can very depending on the size, complexity of the decor and logistics of the event.



19. Are your rates negotiable? No they are not negotiable. However we are happy to work with you to create a package that best suits your wedding needs.



20. Did you receive any type of training to become a wedding/event planner? Yes, I rely on my past event planning experience with AmeriCheer and EXPRESS as well as the Association of Bridal Consultants Professional Bridal Consultant course. We are also required to maintain our Professional Bridal Consultant status by continuing our education every year.



21. What happens if you are sick and can't be there the day of our wedding? I have another senior wedding planner on staff who can step into my role should something happen to me. I am also a member of the Columbus Bridal Consults and have a network of 16 other qualified professionals I can call on to assist in an emergency.

Interviewing A Wedding Planner: The Questions You Should Be Asking

I thought this was one of the best interview lists I've seen around, so I thought I'd share them with you. These interview questions are from my friend Kelly, who owns Weddings By Socialites in Cape Coral, FL. I also added a couple that I feel are important enough to be included in this list.

There are quite a few people out there today who claim to be "wedding planners" or "wedding coordinators", so interviews like this and face to face are crucial in ensuring the person you are considering is a true professional and can make your wedding wishes and desires a reality on wedding day.



1. Is wedding planning your only job?

2. How many clients do you have right now?

3. How many weddings have you planned and executed in the last 24 months?

4. How many weddings have you coordinated (wedding day coordination)in the last 24 months?

5. Who were the last 4 photographers you worked with?

6. What venues have you worked at in the last 6 months?

7. Can I get a recommendation from one of your last 4 full service clients?

8. Can I get a recommendation from one of your last 4 coordination clients?

9. Where can I see samples of your creative or design work? And are all the pictures on your website weddings that you planned?

10. Are contracts with vendors with my name or yours?

11. Do you only work with select vendors or at select locations?

12. Have you ever worked for the venues you now plan weddings at?

13. Do you accept any kick-backs or commissions?

14. Do you offer invitation etiquette assistance?

15. Can I order any products from you, such as linens, invitations, and chairs?

16. How quickly can I expect replies to phone calls and emails?

17. Do you have assistants that will be helping at my wedding day? How many?

18. Will you be on site the entire length of my wedding day?

19. Are your rates negotiable?

20. Did you receive any type of training to be come a wedding/event planner?

21. What happens if you are sick and/or unable to be there for the wedding?



Tomorrow - you'll see my answers to these questions!