In an effort to help address some common no-no’s when planning your wedding, we offer up the following scenarios with a few thoughtful alternatives:

BAD IDEA : Cash Bar

BETTER IDEA - Beer and Wine Bar

BEST IDEA - Beer, Wine and a Signature Cocktail

*GIVE IT A MIX MINGLE GLOW TWIST* - Make your Signature Cocktail memorable by appealing to the masses and offering a His and Hers option.  The Bride and Groom’s libation of choice (cleverly renamed, of course!).  My new favorite idea:  FOUR Signature cocktails…Something Old (a classic like a Manhattan), Something New (one of these, maybe?), Something Borrowed (ask family for their favorite recipe), Something Blue (try this).

WHY THIS WORKS:  Asking guests to pay for ANYTHING after all the other expenses they have incurred to be at your wedding is in very poor taste.  A full bar (with a variety of liquor, mixers and garnishes) can be quite pricey and offering beer and wine is absolutely acceptable. By adding “Signature Cocktails”, you inject a little personality and charm into the event from the very beginning.  If you are only offering one specialty drink, have servers greet guests at the door with trays upon their arrival at the reception as well as continuous passing throughout the cocktail hour.

BAD IDEA:  Insufficient seating at an outdoor ceremony

BETTER IDEA:  Enough chairs for everyone.

BEST IDEA:  A few extras just in case.

*GIVE IT A MIX MINGLE GLOW TWIST*:  Creative seating like benches, ottomans, adirondack chairs, ghost chairs are all an unexpected touch.  We like to take something basic (and budget savvy) like a cube ottoman and customize it to complement the style of the event. 

Also, arranging any type of seating in an unusual way is a fantastic wow factor.  My favorite outdoor ceremony setup is circular, creating an intimate feeling of love and support literally surrounding the Bride and Groom.  This idea from Karen Tran Florals literally makes me swoon:

WHY THIS WORKS:  Not having enough seating for your ceremony guests is an absolute no-no.  This is not an area to “cut back” on costs.  Providing adequate seating not only creates an aisle for you to walk down, it helps your photographer capture the unobstructed pictures of your ceremony.  Many rental companies have several interesting seating options and places like IKEA make it affordable to offer unique ceremony arrangements. 

My belief is that Brides don’t intend to offend with their ideas of ways to cut back on their wedding costs, and there are lots of cost-conscious ways to stay within the budget without insulting family and friends along the way.  

So what about you?  What other “Bad Ideas” have you seen at weddings, and what are some better alternatives?

I am so excited to share some gorgeous photos with you from last weekend’s wedding.  Stephanie and Jason came down from Tennessee with their precious families for a very sweet and intimate celebration.  Kate Crafton, photographer extrodannaire and her second shooter (and rockstar in her own right) Anna Bonick of Hullabaloo Design were off the charts amazing.  Ladies, are you listening?  Kate and Anna will travel down to our breathtaking beaches (or anywhere else, I am sure) and shoot your wedding, and then you can have drop-dead-gorgeous photos like this of your very own!

Stephanie wanted a vintage feel with some modern touches to go along with the beach house where the reception was being held.  The house is a 100 year old Victorian home that has been moved from another town to sit and overlook the sugar white sands of Inlet Beach.  The owners have lovingly refurbished the home and added some beautiful modern touches to its otherwise vintage appearance.

With a small ceremony like Stephanie and Jason’s, I like to do something that feels cozy, like place the chairs in a circle.  The guests sat family style at long mahogany tables, decorated with a variety of white flowers and groupings of turquoise vases and containers, along with lots of candlelight, accented by vintage silver pieces.  The Bride contributed a beautiful collection of vintage crocheted doilies that served as the perfect runner for the tables.

While the steel drums played, guests dined under cafe lighting with lots of love, laughter and memories.  Stay tuned for more details.  Until then, enjoy this little slideshow Kate put together! 

Children’s parties are so fun.  I love working with a simple theme and exploring the possibilities. 

At Mix Mingle Glow, we offer a service called “Parties With a Purpose” that is a very popular option for kid’s parties.  Based on the theme, we research relevant charities who accept in-kind donations and make recommendations to the client.  Then, the family asks guests to bring items to be donated in lieu of birthday presents.  We arrange for the items to be shipped/delivered with a note and a photo of the birthday child.  At first blush, a lot of people think children will “miss out” by not receiving a mountain of gifts, but ALL of our previous Parties With a Purpose clients not only report complete satisfaction, but parents report to us that their children start talking about what their next charity will be well before their birthday rolls around again!  Talk about teaching children to have a benevolent heart and a charitable worldview! 

The basic theme of a “Dog Party” took root when we contacted several local animal shelters to explore the possibility of homeless pups joining the celebration.  Our venue would be a very well maintained local Dog Park and guests would be welcome to bring their own pets as well. 

Upon arrival, party guests were invited to reach into a bucket and pull out a rolled up t-shirt printed with a famous dog on the front to wear during the party.  Everyone immediately became interested in what dog design would be opened next!

 Tables were set with plush brown fur table linens, newspaper placemats, dog bowls and disposable cups with personalized (real) dog biscuits glued on.  Our goal was to be able to donate as much of our decor as possible to the Animal Shelter following the event, so centerpieces were bags of dog food, opened and folded down, then filled with pink gerbera daisies, as well as rawhide bones and dog brushes!  We filled in the gaps with canned dog food too.  Other centerpieces (on the snack and guest favor tables) were filled with tennis balls and dog toys. 

Of course we were sure to have plenty of fresh water available for our puppy friends and a dog grooming station for the children to pamper the pooches…we aren’t sure who enjoyed it more!

Activities included relays involving jumping through hoops and carrying tennis balls on spoons, as well as a mean game of “Red Rover”, decorating dog tags and puppy paw face painting.

 By far the highlight of the party came when the birthday cake was served in the dog bowls.  Once the children discovered there was no silverware provided, it didn’t take them long to dig in face first!!  It was HILARIOUS!

At the end of the party, guests easily found their corresponding Doggy Bags and we are happy to announce that within the week one of the puppies from the shelter was adopted by a party guest!  And THAT’S why we call them Parties With a Purpose! 

…like I forgot something somewhere. 

Had I missed an appointment? 

Forgotten to sign some VIP (Very Important Paper)? 

Inadvertently left a child at the grocery store? 

With the calendar double-checked, the inbox cleared and the children all accounted for, I just sat and thought about what in the world was itching my brain. 

Then it occurred to me. 

I had been so busy last week planning and preparing for a good chunk of the Bridal Population migrating to the area to say their “I Do’s” that I <gasp!> had neglected my blogging duties!  WHAT?  ME, who just spent an absurd amount of time preaching the Gospel of Blogging to the Event Planning Population at last week’s ISES The Special Event conference in San Diego???  Good grief.  (And I know they are all reading this, tsk-tsking and shaking their heads in sad realization that the Teacher did not practice what she preached.)  {{sigh}}

Well, as a dear friend reminded me recently when I got distracted by some something-or-other, “OK, that’s fine.  Now put your head down and get back to work”.  So, I start  afresh and anew today (with a quiet but sincere “I’m sorry for neglecting you, loyal reader”).

I recently spent several days in meetings with Brides who were in town doing tastings, fittings, site visits, and the like.  While sitting in on the deliciously wonderful Cake Tastings, the virtues of “everything’s made from scratch” were told and retold.  And really, you wouldn’t want it any other way.  Unless perhaps YOU were the one baking it.  Then, really who has the time?  Which is why you pay some fabulously talented pastry chef to create the perfect wedding cake (or other special confection).  But when it comes to throwing a party of your own, hosting a gathering of friends at your home, sometimes you barely have time to clean the bathrooms, right?  And sometimes just opening up a box of cookies and putting them on a plate just won’t cut it!  Thank goodness for my friend, Bakerella.  Look at what she thought up this time:

Super cute for Valentine’s Day dessert, no?  Super easy too! 

No pastry chef required.

So many Brides add a little extra “oomph” to their regular workout in the months leading up to the Wedding Day.  Because so many of the Brides I work with are destination Brides, they arrive here the week before The Big Day ready to soak up some sun and sand.  About a day or two into their stay, they realize they really MISS the workout routine they’ve established and start asking about a gym they can visit while they are here.  Some gyms offer guest passes, some don’t. 

BUT CHECK THIS OUT…..Nora Clements is a certified personal trainer who will come to YOU and offer you the most AMAZING workout in the days before the wedding.  Now, Nora isn’t just your average personal trainer.  She used to work in Las Vegas, where she trained celebrities, dancers, showgirls, you name it.  She became THE girl to call when entertainers were in town and wanted a private, thorough fitness experience.  Currently she runs an awesome beach boot camp that is taking the area by storm.  The biggest reason that everyone loves her (other than she’s just THAT good) is that Nora is “real” about fitness.  She is a 41 year old mother of three with an Air Force husband and a genuine desire to live life to it’s fullest while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Her passion for it is truly contagious.

Brides LOVE that she will show up at their hotel/condo/beach house for an awesome fitness session before the Wedding Day.  We like getting all the bridesmaids together for a fun little workout on the beach followed by a lovely catered brunch.  Burn a few calories while burning off any last minute nerves or stress.  Everybody looks refreshed and feels fantastic.  And really, can you think of a BETTER gift to give your bridesmaids than the gift of health?

There are some seriously kind people in the blogosphere!  This week I was notified that I have been given not one, but two lovely awards from fellow Bloggers.  How cool is THAT?  What a nice thing to do for little ol’ me!

 We were nominated TWICE for the first one, the Blog Luv Award.  First by Amy over at Stem Parties and then by Jamee at Setting the Mood, both extremely talented women in their own right!  Seriously big honor to be complimented by those creative chicks!

Then, Mad About Plaid Girl nominated us for the Your Blog is Fabulous Award.  Well, a LOT of people love that Girl, so coming from her, that’s saying something!

OK, so I’m supposed to “pay it forward” by nominating my own favorite blogs.  Here, in no particular order, are the blogs I go to first in my Google Reader List:

Design Crush - OK, I seriously have a major blog crush here.  She never disappoints.

coco+kelley - a mix of fashion, interiors and design, but I get TONS of inspiration for colors and decor from her keen eye and great sense of style!

The Party Goddess - the inside scoop on the drama and zaniness of an event planner living and working in L.A. with some great tips mixed in for good measure…she’s a riot (and my friend!)

David Stark - design so cool, it hurts

Design*Sponge - yeah, yeah, I know.  We all know who she is and how fabulous her site is.  She probably could care less about this little ol’ blog award, but whatever… my creative juices get all bubbly when I read her blog and I love it!

Sowalscene- for those of you who plan to get married in, vacation to or just read about what’s going on in our lovely piece of paradise down here on the Gulf Coast, Jill has her finger on the pulse of all things Seaside, Watercolor, Rosemary Beach, Watersound, Alys Beach, Destin and the beaches of South Walton, FL.