One Fine Day Wedding Consultation Blog

bridal show tips

As a friendly reminder, don't forget to come see us tomorrow at the Purdons Bridal Affair! It's a FREE Bridal Show with some of Lexington's Best of the Best wedding professionals!! It's a much smaller bridal show than some of the other shows in the area, but Great things come in small packages!! There will be many of the awesome members of Pearl! So, you know it's going to be GREAT!

Here are a few tips for attending Bridal shows- no matter if you attend tomorrow at Purdons or any other upcoming shows in the next few months. 

1. Bring a Friend! Sometimes when you see so many things and talk to so many wedding professionals- all the information tends to run together. So, your best friend, your mom, your groom or your wedding planner would be a perfect asset to have by your side to help you rehash things after!

One of our favorite wedding professionals that you'll surely want to meet at the show tomorrow too is Sam Sears, of South-Van Catering- he & his staff are extremely talented! I *made* him pose for this picture last year & he'll probably get me for posting it -but truly make sure you seek him out and try some of South-Van's goodies too! 

2. Bring your appetite! There are going to be some amazing things to taste from different caterers & cake baking professionals. So, don't go out for a big lunch or breakfast before you come- you'll be sorry because there are SO many wonderful things to eat! 

This yummy treat was from Dupree Catering last year- can't wait to see & taste what they bring this year!  It goes without saying I LOVE Lucy from Dupree Catering!! 

3. Bring some pre-printed address labels! You may think- why this random suggestion? But you'll thank me later! Many wedding professionals ask you to fill out your information on cards for individual drawings and you will want to participate in those drawings!! There are some awesome prizes that wedding professionals give away just for you coming out to visit!! One Fine Day is giving away an AWESOME prize too! So another great reason for coming to see us!! 

4. Bring your camera! Often times you'll see excellent inspirational flowers, rentals, linens, cakes, decor ideas that you will want to remember and put in your wedding planning binder! And unlike pinterest & theknot.com who have other excellent inspiration pictures- these bridal shows are a time you are seeing some of the professionals most talented work- they are showing off for YOU! And if you take a picture- you'll get to remember that forever rather than relying on your memory that might already be getting foggy after all that there is to think about for your wonderful wedding! 

This lovely set up was last year's Crist Creona's display- he does some beautiful work!! 

5. Bring a bag or a large purse! Often times a bridal show will supply you with a bag for all the goodies & giveaways that you get at a Bridal Show but in the event that they don't --it's WAY too much to carry- so consider bringing your biggest purse or an empty shoulder bag to keep your hands free for all the giveaways you'll be signing up for and the hands you'll be shaking from all the great professionals you'll be meeting AND all the yummy food you'll be eating! 

6. ENJOY!! This is the FUN part of planning! A great day out thinking about this wonderful day of celebration you get to plan! So, try not to rush through, but rather just Enjoy it! 

Can't wait to see you tomorrow at the Purdon's Bridal Affair at Purdons Rental from 10-3pm

postage rate changes- TODAY!!

If you weren't aware--which I wasn't either--US Postage rates go up starting today! Now instead of a $0.44 stamp you'll need a $0.45 stamp or a Forever Stamp for your regular cards and mail. So, if you are preparing your save the dates or Wedding invitations & response cards--be aware that you want to use the correct stamps! 

This lovely chart by Delphine Press explains a bit more. 

Hope you have a wonderful week!! 

congratulations you're engaged! part 3

Be sure to check out part 1 & part 2 of our series of tips of what to do first when you're engaged!! The fun continues today with a few more tips- we hope that you find them helpful!

• Create a notebook or a computer folder of favorites or inspirational pictures of things you love that you've seen from some great magazines or blogs and be sure to add a bookmark to your favorites.  We highly recommend Google Reader for keeping up to date on your favorite wedding blogs. Wedding Blogs have nearly taken over the world of wedding Magazines and they are oh so wonderful! Check out some of our favorites here! And if you have the time (it's very addictive) Pinterest is amazing for organizing your inspirational pics & wedding ideas you find online.

 

Photo from GetMarried.com

• Sign up for something fun with your fiance  like Dance Lessons so that it's not constant wedding talk. You are able to enjoy something fun together that you can use for a lifetime but that is also beneficial for your wedding day when all eyes are on you on the dance floor for your first dance! Think of it as a gift to yourself!!

Photo by melanie mauer of another wonderful One Fine Day Couple- Karen & John- they had an amazing first dance!!

Our last tip for this series but probably the most important!! Consider hiring a wedding planner! Often times you intend to do all the planning yourself- that's A-OK. But you & your mom deserve to have someone there on the wedding day or the month prior at the least to help you pull all the last minute things together and implement all of your amazing plans that you have worked so hard for- that's what a planner can help do for you! But also, we have oodles of experience in planning fantastic weddings and this is quite possibly your first wedding you are planning-therefore we are extra helpful in lots of the planning aspects as well. Contact us at One Fine Day to discuss all of the wonderful ways we can help with your special day!

Congratulations!! Wishing you and your fiance all the happiness & luck for a wonderful wedding day!

congratulations you're engaged! part 2

We're still so happy for you and excited to get planning with you but we wanted to continue our series of posts to tell you our favorite tips of what you should do first when planning just after you became engaged!

• Before you set a wedding date- take the calendar of the town (Lexington or Louisville) you're getting married in into consideration. Big University of Kentucky/Louisville ball games or Keeneland/Derby & Derby Prep weekends tend to cause a little more of an out of town guest accommodations headache more-so than other weekends in Lexington & Louisville- but they also make great activities for a fun wedding weekend- so for some the trade off is worth it!  Consider holidays and the weather, check the farmer's almanac too, for the best time of year to plan your big day. We do recommend at least 6-12 months for planning, but it is "possible" for shorter engagement periods, just the potential for a bit more stress in quicker decision making.  You may also want to be flexible on your wedding date too, if you do have your heart set on a certain venue location or wedding professional to be with you on your wedding day- have a few date options in mind that could work.

 But the biggest tip we can offer to any Bride and Groom no matter how far off their wedding date is: Don't make quick, hasty decisions because you are feeling rushed by your family or pressured by wedding professionals.

• Think in depth when choosing your wedding party- This decision is not one of the first ones that "has" to be made. If they are truly your friends- they aren't going anywhere. You want all of your bridal party to share in your joy. Plus it's much easier to add Bridesmaids/Groomsmen than it is to un-invite them.

photo by the wonderful Alicia Fierro Aesthetiica Photography   of our super sweet One Fine Day bride Whitney & her too cute Bridesmaids!

 

• Take care of securing locations and the key wedding professionals that book quickly and are not replaceable. For instance, rather than immediately going wedding gown shopping, figure out for sure where you will be having your ceremony and reception.  Because you never know- you may decide after you have purchased a great little summery chiffon gown that in fact the only dates available for your "dream" location are in November or December- then your dress may not be your perfect "fit" anymore.  Also, the best of the best photographers, bands, etc. also book up quickly as they can only do one event per day, so if you have your heart set on a certain wedding professional or selection- make that decision a priority over all other things "wedding".

• It is OK to "sleep on it" when making decisions for your wedding, don't be pressured into something you aren't quite certain it is "right" for you and your wedding. The same goes for hiring your wedding professionals. You should research your options, gather proposals, recommendations from friends, and most importantly see if the vendor is listening to you and if your personalities mesh. There is nothing worse than planning the rest of your wedding surrounded by people or things you aren't thrilled about. Every decision matters- so don't be in too big of a hurry- relax and enjoy your engagement!

photo by Melanie Mauer of our Super sweet One Fine Day Bride Tiffany

congratulations you're engaged! part 1

Congratulations on your engagement!! We're so happy for you! There is nothing better than being in love and knowing that you get to spend the rest of your life with your true love! *sigh* No doubt about it I'm a hopeless romantic & I love happy engagement/love stories- we can't wait to hear yours!! Please share it with us! If you are newly engaged and super excited to get started planning--here are a few of our favorite tips we'd love to share with you! (we have to break it into several parts- because we have bunches of tips!)

The questions are probably flying at you from friends and family or at least swirling in your head--so first things first, What's the FIRST things you should you do once you become engaged?

    *The obvious is to first tell your family and friends you are engaged or to switch your facebook status to Engaged which is oh so fun! A manicure may need to also be in the immediate future since everyone will be asking to see your hand to show off that sparkly new ring! While you are on Facebook- be sure to go over to the One Fine Day Wedding Consultation page and 'like us' too!

Photo by the uber-talented Melanie Mauer Photography

Secondly, Before you begin to hire your wedding professionals- sit down with the key players (parents, grandparents, each other) to discuss a realistic wedding budget before moving forward. This is often times hard to do when this is your first time planning a wedding, but a key tidbit of information is that the "average" wedding is around $30,000. Granted that is "average" and is generally about 150 guests included. So, if you are planning on inviting more people, you may need to have a bit of a larger budget. If you need help determining a budget or breaking down the budget- check out the budget we helped to create on the awesome website Pearl Lexington (chalk full of awesome wedding vendors and wonderful resources for planning your big day!) or contact a wedding planner- like us at One Fine Day!! who would be happy to assist you with that as well.

We will have more many more tips in the next few days! Congratulations again! We can't wait to hear from you and discuss your wedding more and get to working on the planning with you!

merry christmas!

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!

Couldn't help but share a photo of my youngest with Santa Claus this year. Hope he visits you just like I know he's coming to visit the Spalding Family!

We will be spending time with our families with limited email and phone access until January 3rd. Thank you for your patience and understanding if our responses are slower than usual during this time.

merry christmas from us at One Fine Day! xoxoxo

one fine day - spring 2012 internship

we're in search of a fabulous college intern for spring 2012! if you know the perfect person, feel free to pass along our email address ...we'd love to learn more about them! info@OneFineDayKy.com

details: flexible hours, 10-15 hours/week

email us ASAP and we're happy to send you more information about the internship!

we have some fantastic weddings and events coming up in the spring and we're so excited for our spring intern to learn all about One Fine Day! 

 

WOW Wedding- Published in Tops in Lex Magazine!!

LOVE it when our fabulous One Fine Day Weddings  get published so everyone else in the world can see what the Bride & Groom's guests got to see--a sneak peak at their wonderful wedding day!! We were super excited that Tops in Lex (a too cool Magazine Publication in Lexington, Kentucky) wanted to feature Amelia & Nick's wedding from September as their WOW Wedding! Thanks for sharing in my excitement!! Oh Happy Day!! Check out the feature here!! Photos by Melanie Mauer & this one was one of my favorites from the special day from their backyard overlooking Lake Cumberland!!

 

 

WOW Event

This past January we were thrilled to attend the WOW Event here in Lexington. We got to meet, greet and hear some of our very favorite wedding professionals speak-- Tara Guerard, Janie Medley and Elizabeth Messina. Each one had such amazing tips and trends to share with us in the wedding professional world!

Below is a photo of One Fine Day's Mackenzie & Lindsay with Tara Guerard, amazing event designer and owner of Soiree Events in Charleston, South Carolina. We LOVE her work and she was so inspiring to us! Also below is a photo from her website of a beautiful wedding that she did.

Below One Fine Day's Mackenzie and Lindsay are with Janie Medley of the very popular The Bride's Cafe. We LOVE reading all her blog posts! Janie is a floral designer and owner of Jamie Medley Flora Design in Richmond, Virginia.  Also below is a photo of her amazing work.

 

Unfortunately we didn't get a photo "with" the lovely Elizabeth Messina - who is an extraordinary photographer in Santa Monica, California and wonderfully nice. Please be sure to visit her blog-another fave of ours to follow - Kiss the Groom! Featured below is some of her gorgeous work.

We would love if they would come back to visit the Bluegrass again soon! Let us know how much you love them and follow their inspiring blogs too!

spring is in the air

 
When I think of Spring I automatically think of beautiful flowers! If you want to be a little eco-friendly on your wedding day consider using fresh flowers as your centerpieces or as a favor to your guests! They are sure to make your tables look beautiful on your wedding day and your gardens look great for the rest of the year!  One Fine Day is here to help with more eco-friendly ideas for your big day!

Photo of Hyacinth courtsey of CM Wedding Blog, photo of orchid courtsey of Martha Stewart Weddings, and photo of wedding favors courtsey of Tree Souls 

 We are excited that Spring is in the air and wanted to let you know that we will be available on a limited basis until April 4th as we enjoy some holiday time with our families. So, thank you for your patience as we might have a slower response time- but we'll get back to you as quickly as possible after we come in from trips to the zoo, bike rides and all sorts of fun Spring activities! Hope you are able to enjoy this beautiful time of year as well!