Driving a BMW and Your Place Setting!!!

With wedding season upon us, I wanted to share with you this article my friend, Kelly Frager, posted on her blog awhile ago about place setting etiquette!  

Driving a BMW and Your Place Setting

What’s the connection between driving a BMW and your place setting?

Imagine yourself seated at the table at a beautiful wedding (napkin in lap, of course!). Notice the many utensils, glasses and plates. Oh my! You take a sip of what you think to be your water glass, only to notice the person to your left taking a sip out of the same water glass moments later. After you think “yuck” – your next thought is “oops!” Whose water goblet is it?

When seated at the table, drive your BMW. Bread. Meal. Water.  Left to right, just like we read.  Your bread and butter plate is to your left.  Your main meal plate is center and your steering wheel. And finally, your water (and wine) glasses are to your right. It’s that easy.

Look out summer weddings and end-of-season-banquets! This blog reader will NOT make the mistake of stealing his neighbor’s water goblet!

Being confident at the dining table allows you to feel comfortable so you can truly enjoy the meal and your company.

Mind Your Manners, Kelly

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Thank you, Kelly, for sharing this with my followers!

To learn more about etiquette (including networking and business etiquette), visit Kelly's website at Etiquette for Everyday.

Wedding Planning Stress?!

This was recently posted by someone I follow, The Overwhelmed Bride, and is so helpful and true --

4 Ways to Prevent Wedding Planning Stress Whether you had two years to plan or just two months, planning a wedding can get stressful. So here are four of our top tips on how to prevent wedding planning stress: 1. Let the engagement sink it! Once you get that beautiful rock on your finger, don't plan just yet. Yes, all of your family and friends are going to ask "When is the big day?" and "Where are you going to tie the knot?" but let all of this fly right past you and don't let it make you anxious. For at least a week, sit back and just enjoy this happy time in your life. And then you can jump right into planning after that :) 2. Set your wedding date a week before it actually is... Confused by this? Probably. But I'll explain. After you've had that week of down time after your engagement, we suggest you jump right into planning. Get your vendors booked, get the DIY crafts done and don't wait "because you have so much time." Why? Because it is always better to be done and ready to go and to be able to enjoy the duration of your engagement! So no matter what you do, leave AT LEAST a week before the wedding to do nothing except sit back, relax, and enjoy this time in your life! And if you think this is not going to be possible, set your wedding planning timeline and wedding date in your calendar a week before the wedding day actually is. And that way, you'll have no choice but to be done a week early. 3. Date your partner...and throw out the wedding talk. Now more than ever before, it is important to continue those date nights with your fiance. And that doesn't mean going out for a glass of wine to go through the wedding budget. This means a date night - just the two of you with no wedding talk. After the wedding, dating will become an imperative part of your marriage in order to keep that spark alive and guess what? There won't be any wedding to talk about any more. So go out, have fun, and forget about the wedding every once in a while. Kreate Photography   4. Remember that there are no rules when it comes to weddings.  You may have been told that you "have to host the bar" or that "you need to have wedding favors" but when it comes to weddings, there are no have-to's or musts. You can have your wedding however you want it and believe me, there is probably someone else who has done it that way before too...so you're not alone. Do what you want, stick to your budget, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Just smile, nod, and let the unwanted advice fly in one ear and out the other. Because it's your wedding day and if it's just how you like it, then it's exactly the way your wedding should be! Thank you for your wonderful blog posts, www.theoverwhelmedbride.com! Be in touch with Events by Lexi if you are looking to have a stress-free wedding day!

Romantic Garden Wedding!

Bride Alison contacted Events by Lexi in June of 2015 to provide wedding day management/coordination services for her September 2015 wedding to Chris!  She knew exactly what she wanted for their dream wedding, and as you will see, added so many lovely touches to it to make their "romantic garden wedding" just perfect for them!

Because of the many wonderful providers they had already chosen, it made coordinating their wedding day that much easier!  We all worked well together as a team to make sure every moment of their wedding unfolded exactly as they wanted it to!

With a guest list of 78 family members and friends, Alison & Chris' wedding was lovely, intimate, and romantic -- a wonderful celebration of their love for each other!

Dad's hug of love after seeing his beautiful daughter as a bride!

Beautiful floral arrangements, with lanterns and candles adorned the ceremony space and the guest tables, which added just the right touch for this romantic garden wedding theme!

Alison found and created some fabulous signage 

for the wedding day!

The favors for the evening were little make-it-yourself bags of lavender!

         

The processional from the Mansion to the gardens for the ceremony!

  

Beautiful backdrop for the wedding!

 

An emotional groom!

And, an emotional bride!

Lovely and personal ceremony!

The kiss!!

A gorgeous evening for pictures on the grounds of Glenview Mansion.

Head table decor!

Inside the Mansion on the wonderful staircase!

 

First dance by the new Mr. & Mrs.

Groom Chris tenderly watches the daddy/daughter dance -- Alison and her emotional father, as they share this special dance to "I Loved Her First".

Time for the caramel apple station -- quite a hit with the guests!

Dancing the night away!

Cutting the cake as husband and wife!

This was my third event at Glenview Mansion and it was just as wonderful as the other two events! 

Thank you to these fabulous providers with whom I enjoyed working!

Glenview Mansion

Putting on the Ritz

ZBest Worldwide

JT&T Entertainment

Nicole Colwell Wedding Photographer

Blushing Blooms Floral Design

Men's attire from Jos. A. Bank

Bride's gown by Betsy Robinson

Thank you to Alison and Chris for asking all of us to be a part of your wedding day!

Best wishes as you continue enjoying your happily ever after!

Gorgeous Waterfront Wedding at Celebrations at the Bay!

On this beautiful winter day -- the sky is so blue, the sun is shining so brightly, the air is crisp and the ground has about 2.5 feet of snow on it -- I thought you might like to escape the chilly day and see some pics of a beautiful wedding I coordinated on the waterfront in Pasadena, MD.

Jennifer and Brian contacted me in February of 2015 (via my website, and they also knew 2 other brides with whom I was working) to provide month-of/day-of coordination for their September 2015 wedding at Celebrations at the Bay. What a great venue choice for their wedding day!  I had been to the venue years ago for a networking event, but never for a wedding -- it was amazing! Jennifer & Brian were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous early fall day for their wedding, and enjoyed a day full of love and good times shared with family and friends, creating beautiful memories.

Jen and Brian were a wonderful and fun couple with whom to work!  And, they currently live only a few blocks from where I lived in Northern Virginia when I moved east from Northern Wisconsin (the move was a long time ago!!!)!  Their contracting with me was just meant to be!

Jen's very bubbly personality made working with this couple a complete joy!  She was very organized and kept good notes during the planning process.  I'd check in with her every few weeks or so to see how plans were going so we could check things off of the list!  We chatted more often as it got closer to the wedding date sharing the information I would need to know so that I could make sure the wedding day went just as they dreamed it would!

Jen chose these gorgeous purple dresses for her bridesmaids!

Getting ready!

Hair and make-up providers did a lovely job with an already beautiful bride, bridesmaids and moms!

First look picture!

Lovely setting for the wedding ceremony!

Rabbi Robin Silverman officiated at the ceremony and did a beautiful job!

Enjoying a quite moment at sunset!

Guests were on the dance floor pretty much all night!

The day of the wedding arrived and all went very smoothly!  The staff of Catering by Uptown were great to work with and we all worked very well together!

Providers who were part of making this wedding day just as Jen & Brian wanted it to be were:

Flowers by Judy, who provided the soft Chuppah, the bouquets of colorful roses, and babies breath, and the centerpieces of glass vases filled with water and stems of white spray orchids, with a white candle floating on top -- very romantic feel which is what Jen wanted! 

Soft Touch Photography, who took so many amazing photos of the wedding.  The staff of 4 photographers and assistants captured every minute of the day, which resulted in loads of lovely pictures!

Dual Cam Productions captured the many moments of the day through video.

Catering by Uptown provided fabulous food and a full bar  ~ passed hors d'oeuvres of  Spanikopita, mini beef wellington, chicken satay, cucumber rounds with salmon, and grilled shrimp; Stationary hors d'oeuvres of fruit, baked brie and Mediterranean spreads, and Lobster bisque.  Fabulous dinner of crab cake and grilled filet mignon!  To end the meal was a beautiful and delicious cake ~ yellow cake with raspberry filling and buttercream icing!  Yum!!!  

Chariots for Hire provided transportation services for guests and the bridal party to and from the venue.  The drivers were wonderful!

Bridal Artistry crafted lovely hairstyles for the bride and her attendants!

Kimberly Hughes-Song, ksong9173@gmail.com, added just the right amount of makeup to enhance the natural beauty of Jen and her bridesmaids and the mothers ~ all looked so pretty!

DJ Delights owner, Tom Gavin, kept the dance floor alive!

It was a beautiful day for a wonderful couple and

I was honored to be a part of it!

Weddings Around the World

In the United States, we typically think of weddings as a one-day affair with a white gown and a large cake, but in other parts of the world, wedding traditions can look very different than what Americans typically see. Here are some of the more interesting traditions from around the world that may inspire you to bring some of your heritage into your wedding day.

In the Congo, the bride and groom aren't allowed to smile on their wedding day because smiling is seen as not taking marriage seriously.

In France, the bride and groom traditionally enjoy chocolate and champagne after the reception - yes, please!

Ladies who don't want to go on a diet to fit in their wedding dress should get married in Mauritius! Tradition says that a man with a bigger wife is seen as wealthier because he has the money to feed her.  Therefore, women will eat more before their wedding day.

In Germany, guests traditionally break porcelain dishes to ward off evil spirits - which the bride and groom then had to clean up!

Thinking of eloping? Gretna Green in Scotland is traditionally a popular place to do so. Centuries ago, English law stated the bride and groom had to be over 21 in order to marry but Gretna Green did not have this law, so many underage couples would get married there.

Greek grooms traditionally look to their best man to make sure he looks well-groomed on his wedding day -- by letting the best man shave him, Also in Greece, the new mother-in-law would gift almonds and honey to the fresh-faced groom.

In Guatemala, it's a tradition that the groom's mom break a white ceramic bell, filled with grains like rice and flour, to bring prosperity to the couple.

In Norway, the typical wedding cake is called a kransekake and is make with iced almond cake rings with a bottle of wine place in the hollow center.

In Philippines, the couple releases a male and female dove on their big day to signify a harmonious life together.

Finally, in Venezuela for good luck, the couple tries to leave the reception without being caught. The guest who realizes they are gone also receives good luck. 

Some of these traditions are still going on but some are from the past just waiting to be brought back!

For more information on Events by Lexi, click here

2016 Wedding Trends

Happy New Year!! Hope everyone is having a good start to their year. For those of you who got engaged over the holidays, congratulations and best wishes as you begin this new chapter in your lives!  You’re in the right place if you want to get a head start on some of the trends for weddings this year!

The biggest trend you’ll probably see this year, especially in the spring, will be the Pantone Colors of the Year – rose quartz and serenity, calming colors that will no doubt bring out the joy of your special day! Not into those colors as much? Pantone predicts colors used by designers will be a variety of soft, soothing colors with the occasional pops of bright colors like Fiesta! Perfect for a high energy wedding party. Pantone’s color called Iced Coffee would be a great transitional color into fall and Green Flash would be a great color for an outside wedding. Perhaps you'll opt for letting your bridesmaids get their own, similar looking dress for the day. 

For your own dress, Glamour predicts that Boho brides, with light, off the shoulder, dresses and simple hairstyles will be popular. 

Culinary trends on the whole are predicted to continue with the recent farm to table and locally sourced foods movements. According to restaurant.org, savory, mini desserts and homemade ice cream offer a different take on the traditional wedding cake.

One trend that looks to become popular this year is having a brunch wedding instead of the traditional dinner wedding, Eggs Benedict anyone?

No matter if you consult Pantone, Glamour, Restaurant.com or go with your favorite color and foods since childhood, I hope wedding planning is fun and as stress-free as possible.

If you liked this article, please be sure to share it with friends and family!

For more information about Events by Lexi, click here

Hidden Venue Costs

Wedding coordinators can help you with the big things and also, all of the little things in all aspects of planning your wedding. One area couples may find frustrating is paying unexpected costs not originally budgeted for  -- such as costs associated with the venue.

According to TheKnot.com, simple weddings in a rustic barn can rack up costs for things such as bathroom trailers (which are nicer than a regular port-a-potty!), some climate control, and a generator since electricity is most likely not available. You and your wedding party will have to either hire someone or get your hands dirty setting up (including hanging lights, so your guests can actually see every kiss and the first dance!) and cleaning up.

Outdoor weddings seem simple enough, but if you plan to have two become one on a publicly-owned property, you may need to get a permit. If your reception is also outside, help your guests by having a Plan B, such as a tent to cover the entire reception space (again, another cost!) in case it rains.

Last but not least, hotels, which are very popular venues, can also have multiple hidden costs. Everything from a charge if the power goes out to a corkage fee for outside alcohol can increase your costs by more than you originally budgeted for. Keep in mind that all of this is something with which your professional wedding coordinator can be able to help you!! 

For more information about Events by Lexi, click here