Always have real flowers on a wedding cake. Except this one.

There are few occasion when a floral designer is OK with no real flowers on a cake. This is one of them (YUM!) I’m a sucker for the Wedgewood wedding cake thing – don’t try it with Limoges though – starts to look like an overdone Easter Egg. And this couple was sure to have loads of flowers everywhere else- I’d extrapolate from the decor- monochromatic- shades of white, lots of peonies. Let the cake, and the couple, be the stars of the show.

Courtesy of Brides Magazine.

Wedding to do list: florist, baker, officiant…loan officer?

It’s perfectly natural to want a more lavish wedding than you can afford.  The internet wedding and television world has raised the bar. Add the desire to have amazing photos for friends to admire on Instagram, Facebook, etc. and you have couples planning beyond their means. The finance world, ever predatory, has come up with a “solution:” wedding loans. They are a terrible idea both financially and emotionally.  Let’s explore why. wedding-loans-marry-in-style-with-collateral-free-loans-1-728

  • Financially, there’s no worse way to start your life together than by adding debt.  What a terrible wedding gift to each other! The easy solution that brings immediate happiness will be a terrible choice down the road when buying a home or car and you are still paying off loans from a party you had long, long ago.  Are you going to be glad then that you made that sacrifice to have beef instead of chicken?
  • Emotionally, the potential for fighting over money in a marriage is high. If either one of you is the slightest bit unsure about taking out a loan for the wedding, down the line that’s going to come out and be a point of contention.  And it will be a point of contention that will follow you in your relationship until you are completely out of debt! I wouldn’t want resentment over a loan floating over my marriage, that’s for sure.

So there are my reasons I am against wedding loans.  I am sure there are people who use them responsibly and find them very helpful. If you’re interested, make sure you read the terms very carefully.  For the rest of you, go make a good budget!

Be well and love well.

Dinah

How to keep track of wedding planning meetings

Keeping track of the wedding vendors you meet and options you see is the key to effective wedding planning.  Referring back to your notes from different meetings will be handy, so read on for tips on keeping wedding meeting information organized and accessible while on the go.

Palm Springs wedding flowers
A table setting at a Palm Springs wedding – centerpieces by My Little Flower Shop, photo by True Photography Weddings

1)   Always carry a small notebook and pen.  This is a good rule for life in general –messenger bags have those little tubular holders sewn in for a reason.  Sure there’s “an app for that” but the old fashioned method is the simplest and fastest way to jot down notes when touring a venue or tasting cakes.  Later on your thoughts are easy to find, just flip through.  No scrolling or squinting required.

2)   Use your phone – as a camera!  Before cell phones became essential accessories that run our lives, a camera on a phone was a very fancy feature. It’s still super useful. Capture a table setting, colors that inspire,  or the hours on the window of a store you need to come back to.

3)   Don’t forget to KISS! Definitely kiss your sweetie, but also Keep It Simple Silly! Worrying about elaborate notebooks and apps for tracking information take away from what really is a fun process if you let go a little.  So relax, remember your pen, and plan away!