11 year anniversary!!

Hi all! I wanted to take this opportunity to share a personal story with you. Just last Sunday, August 9th, my husband Mike and I celebrated our 11th year anniversary. Eleven years since we got married - the time truly flies by!

For our anniversary this year, we decided to go to Emeril's new restaurant in Bethlehem, PA at the new Sands Casino there. It was about a 1 hour, 20 minute easy drive from West Orange. As we have been to Emeril's other restaurants in Orlando and New Orleans, we were very excited to try out his first place in the Northeast. And the food was great! Service was very good as well! We only wished that the "bam" man was there himself, but we had a great time remembering our engagement day, our wedding day and awesome honeymoon travels. Even after 11 years, the memory of our wedding day is fresh and makes us smile as we remember all the fun we had. So, as you are planning your wedding, keep in mind that you truly are "making memories"!

Until next time, happy planning!

Asked to speak

Hi everyone! In today's blog, I'm going to discuss 5 little words that strike fear into many a person's heart: "Would you give a toast?" Now, I know that public speaking ranks right up there with paying taxes and death as the most enjoyable activities on the planet, but how could you refuse a heartfelt request like that? I was just asked to speak about wedding planning before a teachers' group in Central Jersey in October, so I know the panic that sets in before making a presentation, whether long or short.

When preparing to give a toast (or any public speech), here are some tips that I share with my clients:

• Practice, practice, practice. This does not mean to write down your toast, word-for-word, but rather spend some time going over the topics you'd like to cover. Then, on 1 index card, write down your topics and recite what you're going to say in front of a mirror. You don't want to sound rehearsed, but you also don't want to stammer and just shout "Cheers!"
• Limit your drinks before your toast. There's nothing worse than someone with a mic who is totally wasted, making inappropriate remarks about how gorgeous the groom is (believe me, it's happened!).
• Keep it short and sweet. Try to limit your remarks to 3 minutes or so - share a story about you and the couple, talk about how their love has changed them as individuals, and offer a toast to many years. That makes an excellent toast - and eliminates the need for a hook!

Remember, people are interested in what you have to say - so make your short time count!

Until next time, happy planning!

Dancing to a whole new level!

By now, I'm sure that most of you have seen the YouTube video of the wedding processional unlike any other. If you haven't, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0.

Choreographed first dances are nothing new. There was even a TV show about them. But this video takes the dance to a whole new level. It certainly reflects the couple's personality! Plus, in these cost-conscious times, it was something that didn't cost anything and yet added a huge WOW (not to mention world-wide attention).

What do you think? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, happy planning...

The Wedding Expert

Hi all!

I have some exciting news to share ... it's been in the works for a while, but now it's "official"! I have been selected to write the Wedding Column for www.newjerseynewsroom.com! When you get a chance, click to http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/style/turning-that-dream-wedding-day-into-reality-in-a-down-economy and read my first article. I'd love to hear your comments!

Every month, I'm going to write one article and also answer any of your questions. So, feel free to email me with questions - you may see my response in my column. I hope you like the information and tips I'm providing in my column as much as I enjoy sharing my experiences with you!

Until next time, happy planning...

Invited to a wedding!

For the past couple of years now, Amanda Huckabee has been working with Bride Ideas as an assistant on the day of most of the weddings I've coordinated. Amanda has a great sense of humor and a wonderful demeanor when handling the inevitable little "incidents" that occur at a wedding - of which the bride and groom never are aware.

Pictured here are Kate Bergin (summer intern), me and Amanda.

I'm excited to announce that Amanda, starting in October, is going to be a Wedding Consultant for Bride Ideas. She will be taking on her own clients and handling their weddings, using me as a resource of course!

Why wait until October? Well... Amanda is getting married herself in August! So, I've been helping her with her wedding plans for the better part of a year and can't wait to celebrate with her. It's going to be very fun to be a guest at her wedding - I've been getting all excited about what I should wear to her black tie optional event! I guess that I've been planning so many wonderful celebrations for great couples, I needed to be reminded about the fun experience for everyone concerned.

So, take a moment, step out of the planning mode, and simply remember to feel the excitement that your upcoming wedding is generating among your family and friends!!

Until next time, happy planning...

A View From An Intern

My name is Kate. Last summer I worked with Rhonda as an intern for Bride Ideas. I was able to help her with two different weddings during that time. Each wedding had their own stress points from personalities to working with various vendors. Overall, it was definitely an eye-opening experience because I learned that wedding planning isn't all about cake tasting, dress-fittings, flowers and invitations. There is much more involved, especially if you have your own business.

As a graduating senior from high school, we are required to do a project in May where we work as an intern. I decided to go back to Bride Ideas because I am still really interested in wedding planning and wanted to learn even more about the business. This time around, I worked on two separate celebrations. These celebrations were really rewarding because I was involved with the actual setting up of the venues. Not only did I get to see Rhonda drafting up the timelines in the office, I actually got to see how useful they were when it came to the actual wedding day. I can't imagine not having a planner at a wedding because it is really important to make sure that everything is on schedule so that the wedding runs smoothly.

I also got to see the marketing side of the business which I learned is a huge part of it. No matter how good of a wedding planner you are, it is important to keep finding new ways to get your name out there. Because of the new wave of technology there are so many different wedding websites to put your company's name on that it can be overwhelming.

I have learned a lot from this experience, mainly that wedding planning is anything but glamorous. However, even though it is not glamorous, it is very satisfying when you see the happiness of the newlyweds when they see their carefully decorated venue and their gratefulness for their stress-free day. I have not yet decided if wedding planning is the thing for me, but I have learned that it will be very important to take marketing in college! I want to thank Rhonda for letting me work with her again, I learned so much!

Cupcake Disaster ... AVERTED!

I wanted to share with you the recent tale of two cupcakes. Well, actually, two cupcake deliveries!


My clients' wedding on May 9th was a very intimate and beautiful celebration. Twenty-five people gathered to celebrate with Mireya and Brian well at the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, right on the Hudson River with gorgeous views of Manhattan. The day was running so smoothly, we knew there had to be a snag somewhere...and that's when the cupcakes arrived!

Mireya and Brian had planned for their guests to have dinner and dessert in the Hyatt's private dining room, with windows on all sides overlooking NYC. The dessert centerpiece was to be cupcakes with special red icing roses on their tops on a lovely 3-tiered stand. The cupcakes were to be on display all night - like a wedding cake (in fact, there were 2 cupcakes in the shape of traditional wedding cakes, for the bride and groom).

The bride and groom were taking photos when I got a call from the Hyatt's Banquet Manager, Sandra, to come to the kitchen right away. The cupcakes had arrived -- all "smooshed". They hadn't been properly packed by the bakery and all, except for the two for Mireya and Brian, were unsalvagable! I sent them back and requested a new batch be sent right away. Now, this was 4 pm and the dinner started at 5. I started preparing for the worst, and as Plan B we called around and found a back-up bakery who would be able to have 23 cupcakes ready for us, sans the icing roses. So, we waited, called, and prayed that the cupcakes from the original bakery would arrive on time and in tact!


Luckily, right at 5 pm, the second batch of cupcakes arrived and were totally fine. While the excellent staff at the Hyatt put them out on display, I kept the guests (and the bride and groom!) distracted during the now-extended cocktail hour. At 5:30, just 1/2 hour late, the doors to the dining room opened, the cupcakes were beautifully displayed, and no one was the wiser! Cupcake disaster averted!

Until next time, happy planning...