I see a lot of wedding videos.  A LOT.  So when something like THIS crosses my desk, it definitely gets my attention.  Serious props to David Robin Films for this fun, fresh, unique “parody” (although I think it is above and beyond anything related to the original song/video).

Enjoy.

Or contributing to the increasing childhood obesity rate with these:

Why not have your children make and give these to their classmates for Valentine’s Day?:

Super cute, right??  Personalized door hangers are simple for even the youngest children to make and last longer than a boring little card, but don’t add to that dreadful pile of candy that none of us really want or need!

These are even perfect for boys (who aren’t into the whole lovey-dovey pink hearts and cupids):

Packs of blank foam door hangers are available at the Dollar Tree in various colors and sizes and there are several styles of alphabet stickers at craft stores.  I recommend sorting the letters and grouping them into resealable sandwich bags for younger children so you can give them their class list and let them select the letters to spell the names of their classmates themselves with ease.

Add a pack of foam Valentine stickers and let the creativity begin!

Ever since my birthday last year when I shared my day of 30 Random Acts of (Birthday) Kindness, my life has kind of changed.  The activities and residual blessings in a very deep, personal way alone were amazing.  But then there were all the emails…wow.  That single crazy post - the one I almost never posted at all for fear it would sound self-serving and boastful - took on  a life of it’s own.  I’ve made “friends” and connections with some pretty amazing people all over the (virtual) world as a result.  In addition to the private emails from people who were inspired to do something similar to celebrate their own birthdays, there have been online Message Forums discussing it from a parenting perspective, charities and non-profits Twittering about how such a concept could benefit their cause, a radio station who wanted to talk to me about it on air, a Canadian philanthropist/TV personality who became my Facebook friend, a newspaper that featured the story, a magazine that has recently inquired about printing it and countless blogs who have shared the experience.

This has all left me thinking, over and over again…..WHAT AM I TO DO WITH THIS EXPERIENCE?  I am not one to just chalk it up to a single life experience and move on without a second thought.  This little thing surprisingly resonated with many others and  I just knew there was something else to be done as a result.

A few months ago it became very clear to me that there is something MUCH bigger at work here and I need to use it as a catalyst for what I can do in this world to honestly help make it a better place.  I mulled it over in my brain, prayed about it, talked with a few trusted friends about it and waited to have a clear direction before I proceeded.

Then, last week, I heard about Joanne Heim.

Joanne is a pretty amazing woman, wife, mom and friend to many who writes the blog The Simple Wife. At 38 years old, she suffered a massive stroke on Tuesday, January 11.

As I have followed her husband’s updates on Twitter and the blog posts of some of her family and friends and have prayed diligently for her healing, I have realized something about life.This precious woman, the same age as me, has done some pretty incredible things in her relatively short life.  She’s written 3 books, writes for at least 2 blogs that I know of, and has become deeply involved in relationships with friends she has met as a result of both.  I know there are probably MANY more things she has accomplished and fully trust and believe that she will be healed and continue to help change lives all around her.  But what has struck me is that if Joanne never did another thing on this Earth, she has already done SO MUCH to make it a better place for so many.  It has reminded me of that saying that it’s what you do “in the dash” of your life (you know, that little line that sits between the day we are born and the day we leave) that really matters.

Soooooo, in addition to planning weddings and parties here at MMG, there will be something more.  A whole new division, if you will, that will help others use the celebrations of their lives to bless others and make a real impact on this world of ours.  Stay tuned as we get the kinks out and work on setting up some pretty cool things.I could have waited until it was all “up and running” before sharing it with you.

But then I would have wasted a little more time filling in The Dash.  And it’s short enough as it is.

**photo credit: Kristen Haufschild, kh photography

Check out this super fun Halloween idea that my dear friend Heidi in Texas just shared with me!   Every year Heidi buys 2 super-giant-mondo-huge Hershey Bars.  About a week or two before Halloween, she tapes one of the bars to the inside of the window by her front door with a sign that says “WIN THIS ON HALLOWEEN!”.

Of course as her children’s friends come and go in the days leading up to October 31, the news spreads and her window is no doubt covered in tiny fingerprints and drool.  While tall tales of the fabled woman and her house-made-of-candy spin throughout the schoolyard, Heidi prepares by filling a basket with small folded pieces of plain white paper and adds a pumpkin drawing to a few pieces (actually, she uses a cute little galvanized bucket that’s been in her family for like 100 years -or something absolutely precious and meaningful like that - but you and I can just use a little ol’ wicker basket).

Now, she did mention that you need to draw that pumpkin on the paper slip LIGHTLY, cuz you know who crafty those little goblins can be when it comes to trying to lay claim to a giant chocolate bar….anything too dark and they’ll see right through the paper!

Heidi buys two Hershey bars to give the kids more chances to win (they are about $2/each at Walmart right now) and gives the one NOT taped to her window away first.  Every trick-or-treater gets one chance to pick a winning ticket out of the bucket after they get their obligatory treat.  Since this is not an easy win, she does let every kid know that they can come back at the end of their trick-or-treating for another chance IF no one has won the candy bars by then (and no, you can’t come back and try again in ten minutes…she’s on to those sneaky spooks!).

I just think this is the cutest idea.  Heidi told me it has become quite a tradition in her neighborhood and she loves when the kids approaching her doorstep on Halloween have already heard about it and have been WAITING for their big chance to win!  So fun!  I personally can’t wait to introduce this great tradition to my neighborhood this year.

Do you have a fun Halloween tip or tradition that you’d like to share with the world?  Email me at robyn@mixmingleglow.com with your ideas and photos and maybe you’ll be the next reader to be featured here on the blog!

Every one of my Brides will tell you that the most important thing to me, when planning and designing a wedding, is that at the end of the day, family and friends walk away saying, “That wedding was so THEM”.

We start the planning by looking at a lot (a LOT) of pictures that Brides bring to me; tear sheets from every wedding magazine under the sun.  They almost always say something like “I know these don’t all go together and look totally different, but I like them all”.  But it always makes sense to me.  All those pages give us a great jumping-off point.  Then I like for Brides to look at other types of publications.  The “non-wedding” stuff.  Rip stuff outta there and show me that too.

We talk a lot (a LOT) about how they met, their first date, where there were engaged.  Funny, silly quirky stories unique to just the two of them.

Anyone can copy a photo out of a magazine.  What I want is a wedding that reflects the style and personality of the couple individually and together.

Kelly and Mark had some pretty unique ideas right off the bat.  They approached it like a lot of people do…hesitantly.  Wondering if I would think they were crazy.  But when they told me they had one friend who could play the ukulele and another who could blow into a conch shell and “would it just be too weird  if they were a part of the ceremony?”, I L-O-V-E-D them right away.   They totally “got it”.  This was THEIR wedding and we were going to make sure it showed!

They wanted a beach ceremony and a reception overlooking the Gulf.  Something different for the ceremony music and cocktail hour and a fun, quirky cake.  We placed long white casual benches in front of  an elegant arbor draped with delicate orchids (love that kind of juxtaposition), found some gorgeous, fun table linens and threw in a yummy candy buffet table.  And because I spoke with Mark almost as much as I did Kelly, every detail of the evening turned out to be a perfect reflection of them both.

At the end of the night, after Kelly and Mark left and their guests stood, enjoying the last of the sparklers, I smiled to myself as I walked past a small group of their friends and heard one of them say,  “Oh my gosh you guys, how fun!  That wedding was SO Kelly and Mark!”

beautiful photos courtesy of Leslie Roark Photography

The summer has been filled with weddings here on the Emerald Coast and while we have been BLESSED with nary a drop of oil on any Mix Mingle Glow weddings (nor any other that I personally know of), we have certainly been kept on our toes nonetheless.  This will be the summer I will never forget due to some crazy, unpredictable weather.  I’ll fill you in on the drama in the weeks to come (and why it is IMPERATIVE that you have a good, solid “Plan B”) but let’s start with the beautiful wedding of Brittany and Tyler.

One of the lovely things about getting married in or around Destin, FL is that we have the benefit of both gorgeous snow white beaches and tranquil, dolphin filled bays.  Brittany and Tyler were married overlooking the Choctawhatchee Bay (don’t worry if you can’t pronounce it; even the locals call it the “Choctaw Bay”!).

Brittany was the first Bride I ever worked with who didn’t come to me with an accordian file of magazine clippings and photos.  She knew exactly what her style was, and it was so easy to figure out exactly what she wanted her wedding to look like.  She was open to suggestions, listened to advice and was gracious in every way a Bride should be.

Tyler is a Guy’s Guy; football coach, sports enthusiast, all around great guy.   He’s also just a little bit sweet on his Bride. I just had to share this photo with you that Amanda Suanne caught of Tyler as we watched Brittany walk down the aisle (seriously, what Bride doesn’t want THIS reaction?)

Here are a few other shots of some details we had fun planning:

After the very emotional, spiritual ceremony, a sudden summer storm churned up over the water (really out of nowhere, as is known to happen in Florida) and with it, we watched as a waterspout approached and landed right onto the area where Brittany and Tyler had been reciting their vows just minutes before.  It was completely unexpected but we were able to rush everyone inside just in time.  It was a bit like watching that famous scene from The Wizard of Oz, as the chairs became airborne and the flowers were blown over and away.  Thankfully everyone was fine and all the guests were excited about experiencing such a unique Florida weather event (all while snapping photos of the moment!).

Within minutes, the excitement was over as fast as it began and the rest of the evening was wonderful.  I can NOT express how important it is to have a strong team of vendors for a wedding. Staying calm, cool and collected is our M.O. and I only work with those who strictly abide by the same motto!

Check out this beautiful slideshow Amanda Suanne created of the wedding and congratulations again to Brittany and Tyler.  Blessings for a long life together, you two!

There is nothing that I love or appreciate more when life just gets way too serious than a good laugh.  I love this series of videos (you may recall when I have featured them on the blog in the past) and thought I’d share one with you.

So funny.

Enjoy.

Remember when a guy would wait for that one quiet moment, sometime during an intimate dinner or while watching the sunset, to ask his girl to marry him?  That minute, frozen in time, a memory only reserved for those two people?

Yeah, well, welcome to 2010.

Flash mobs, props, public spaces and cameras are all  the rage in the “Will You Marry Me?” market today.

While public displays and viral videos might not be for everyone, you gotta hand it to some of these guys.  They are really getting creative.  Take, for example, Woodrow, a recent circus school graduate who got some of his buddies in the filmmaking biz to set up a faux documentary being filmed in the middle of Madison Square Park in NYC.  Someone approaches Woodrow as he strolls through the park with his beloved, Claudine, and asks him for a quick interview for his documentary (all of which is entirely believable on any given day in any given locale in the Big Apple).  After some convincing, the filmmaker tells Claudine to have a seat for a minute while he takes Woodrow a few feet away to ask him a few questions. Next thing you know, music starts playing and …well, the rest is soon to be viral video history.

The video is clever, funny, goofy and endearing to say the least.  Take a look for yourself and tell me, what do you think?  Would you like a proposal like this or are you more of a private moment kind of person?

Of course there are so many cute ideas for Save the Dates, but if you think the basic paper and ink routine is really soooo 2008, then don’t be discouraged.  Clever couples are doing everything from handstamping vintage hankies   (LOVE!) to having some serious photobooth fun.

Of course you can buy things like magnets (except not everyone’s fridge is magnetic anymore) and calendar stickers as well.  These pens are a clever idea too!

My personal favorite way to announce the Big News and ask family and friends to Save the Date is with a video.  You don’t have to be super fly with the camera or know how to do a bunch of special effects to make your video special (let’s face it….most of us are not like Dana and Hunter!).  A video is fun and sweet and you can email it to all your friends, post it on Facebook and Twitter and everyone will LOVE it!

Take a look at this adorable Save The Date I just received.  (The fact that I taught the Bride when she was in Kindergarten Sunday School is really not the point here…although I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how she went from being an adorable toothless five year old to this beautiful college graduate!).