Wed With Ease: August 2009

Aug 27, 2009

Thorny Thursday - Who Walks me Down the Aisle?

Sally (name has been changed to protect the frustrated!) approached me the other day with this very common dilemma. And, by common what I mean is that this is a problem that A LOT of bride's today are facing.

You see, Sally's parents divorced when she was young. She was 9 at the time of their divorce. Sally's mom re-married when Sally was 12 and Sally's step-father has fulfilled the role of parental guardian since the time that he came into her life.

Now, on to Sally's problem. Sally said that her biological father wanted to walk her down the aisle. Sally also said that her mother is supporting her father and has said that she agrees with it. So far, so good, right?

But, how does Sally feel?

Sally would like to be walked down the aisle by her step-father. She feels that he has provided her with guidance, love, protection, and has acted as her father more than her biological father has.

Now, please, if you are a "biological" father, please do not take the term as demeaning. It is not. In society today, blended families are commonplace and each person in a family takes on their "role," hence terms such as "step-father" "biological father" All of these terms serve to help us make clear our connections to each other. Our new definitions of how we are forming our ties, our connections to our family. No specific title is any more important than any other title. It is not better to be the step, than the biological or vice versa. Each family has its own dynamics. My job, is to respect them all and to honor that in our celebration of this milestone, this celebration of your daughter's marriage.

We are not trying to separate anyone, rather, we are trying to find a way to include everyone.

My answer to Sally's dilemma? It's easy once you think about it. Sally's biological father walks her down the first half of the aisle, he then allows her step-father to finish walking with her to the altar, where her step-father will allow her new husband to begin his journey at her side.

See, easy!! And, still honors and respects each man's impact on Sally's life.

Until next time......

EASY WEDDING PLANNING!

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Aug 24, 2009

And the winner is.....

Anna!!

Thank you to everyone for entering my Inaugural Free Friday comment contest.

Just a little story about how I selected the winner. I told my husband to pick a number 1, 2 or 3 & that was how we selected the winner. I'm not sure if we'll continue to do it this way or not...What do you think?

Anna, Please send an email to: Layla at WedWithEase dot com and I'll let you know how to claim your prize.

Thanks again to everyone for entering. Please continue to visit the blog for additional planning information and giveaways!
Also, if you haven't yet, please visit our website to sign up for our newsletter, Ease Down the Aisle.

Until next time....

EASY WEDDING PLANNING!

Please visit our website home page here: Wed With Ease
Subscribe to our newsletter, Ease Down the Aisle
Connect with me on Facebook!
Become a Fan of Wed With Ease!
Follow me on Twitter!
Jacksonville Brides connect with other Brides here!

Aug 20, 2009

Inaugural Free Friday Post! - 8/21/09

So....those of you who have been waiting with baited breath, here it is, our very first Free Friday giveaway post.

Now, in developing my tradition, you can expect our Free Friday posts to hit on Thursday evenings, then, we'll send out reminders on Friday, just so you don't miss it.

For our very first Free Friday, our giveaway is being provided by a very special young lady, Marni Gold, the owner of Creative Custom Cardboxes. You can read all about Marni in my previous vendor spotlight here.

Marni decided to start making custom cardboxes after her wedding, when she realized that what was available was bland! and, NOT creative. Now, what bride doesn't deserve a custom cardbox? Marni's are absolutely stunning & trust me, yours will get a LOT of attention sitting on your gift table. No birdcage, no paper wishing well, a custom designed, based on your theme, one-of-a-kind, gift card box! Who doesn't want that?

Now, for the good stuff. Marni has offered to generously donate to my loyal blog fans a free 1 tier creative custom card box with embellishments in your wedding colors and theme. Now, aren't you glad you've been reading?

To one lucky winner go the goods! Here are a couple of one tier samples of Marni's work:

I'm excited just thinking about it. Now, each person is only allowed to enter just once. And, this isn't just for brides, grooms may participate also. All you need to do is to comment on the blog with an explanation as to why you think you should win the prize. Also, please let me know what your wedding theme and colors are! This is just because we love everything wedding & we're nosey!

So, get chatting, and leave us some love, and please do feel free to spread the joy. Since this is our inaugural Free Friday, there's no reason why we shouldn't have a TON of people interested in winning.

The winner will be personally selected by us, so please be creative!
We'll announce the winner on Monday. ~~ Good Luck!!

Here are some additional samples of Marni's work:
Two tiers:

Three tiers:

Until next time.....

EASY WEDDING PLANNING!

Aug 18, 2009

Vendor Spotlight: Creative Custom Cardboxes

I'd love to introduce you to a fantastic friend of mine, Marni Protovin Gold. Not only is Marni a fantastic lady, but she does great work, too! Marni makes custom card boxes and "wish" boxes for the bridal couple. And, here's a teaser, Creative Custom Cardboxes is providing our giveaway for our first Free Friday!

Please, read on.

Creative Custom Card boxes is a rapidly growing web-based company that provides brides across the nation with secure, handmade, eco-friendly custom card boxes designed according to their exact specifications.

See this beautiful Round Card box:

When planning her own wedding, Marni Gold was searching for a unique and secure way to store gifts and cards at her reception. Frustrated with the gaudy, tacky or just plain expensive options she was repeatedly coming across, she finally created her own custom card box that was simple, elegant, and understated while still corresponding with her theme. Out of this project, Creative Custom Card boxes was born!

Starting at just $40, Creative Custom Card boxes are as affordable as they are beautiful. Each customer can browse a wide variety of designs at www.creativecustomcardboxes.com before specifying the exact colors, number of tiers, and types of embellishments that will make her own card box one-of-a-kind. A true mother-daughter team, Marni and her mom Linda work closely with their clients to bring their exact visions to life.

While there are few limits to how customers’ card boxes can be decorated, Creative Custom Card Boxes has on hand a consistent stock of crystals, pearls, and variations of I DO and WE DO letters.

Here is a sample of her beautiful work in blue and silver:

For more information, visit www.creativecustomcardboxes.com or email info@creativecustomcardboxes.com. You can also follow Marni on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cardboxdiva

EASY WEDDING PLANNING!

Aug 7, 2009

**Introducing Free Fridays!!

Wed With Ease is excited to announce Free Fridays.

In our Friday blogs, we will feature a giveaway from a wedding vendor that we particularly admire. In the week leading up to that Friday, we'll also spotlight that vendor, so you can get to know a little bit about them.

In order to win the giveaway, you should leave a comment on the blog, indicating why you want to win the giveaway. That's all there is to it! We'll randomly select a winner from the available entries. You can't win, if you don't play, so play!

Vendors: If you'd like to be in our Vendor Spotlight, and give away a piece of wedding bliss to a very deserving couple, please send me an email to Layla {at} wedwithease {dot} com.

Our first "Free Friday" will be on Friday, August 21st & it will be featuring a giveaway from Creative Custom Cardboxes, Marni Protovin Gold.

Check out her website here: Creative Custom Cardboxes
or follow her on twitter, here: Card Box Diva

Until next time.....

EASY WEDDING PLANNING!

Aug 4, 2009

August Promotion

Calling all brides!!

Hello, ladies, I just wanted to send out a really quick message just to let you know about our "day-of" program special for the month of August.

During the entire month, if you book us as your day of wedding coordinator extraordinaire, you will pay the outrageously valuable price of only $750!!

Yes, only $750. With our day of coordination program, you will receive the following services:

** 4 status meetings (6 weeks, 4 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 week).

Status Meetings #1 - The first status meeting is to discuss your details, your venue, colors, guest list, bridal party, vendors, linens, decor', etc.

Status Meeting #2 - The second status meeting is to discuss in great detail your day, the flow of events, and the time-line for each of your vendors.

Status Meeting #3 - The third meeting will be a detailed itinerary meeting. We will go to your venue, and go through the flow of your day, step-by-glorious-step! We'll cover your room layout & the timing of your day and the events in extensive detail.

Status Meeting #4 - This fourth meeting is where we will tie up all the loose ends. Discuss what has changed, and any final decisions that you have made in regards to your day's details.

And, finally, I will be present at your rehearsal to manage everything and get to meet your bridal party, and then I will be on site to manage your Big Day for you.

Depending on how many guests you have, the details for your setup/decor and how large your bridal party is, you may just need me or I may need an assistant or two with me on the day. We can also decide (based on setup and tear down) how many hours will be necessary on that day. Sometimes, I am only there for the standard 6 hours, but I can evaluate what your needs are so that your day is as easy and enjoyable as possible. I have been known to be on site for 10 hours for a "day-of!"

If you would like, I offer an initial free consultation to determine your needs, then I can provide you with the best program that fits.

Please contact me in any of the following ways:
email: layla@wedwithease.com
cell: (904) 993-0644
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wedwithease
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wedwithease

Thank you for trusting me and I look forward to meeting you and working with you!
EASY WEDDING PLANNING!

Aug 27, 2009

Thorny Thursday - Who Walks me Down the Aisle?