Website Shopping: What’s the Price?

BLUEman: The Male Perspective

Most of the time, when I want to learn about one product or another, I search the website of the company for which it was created by.

I already have an idea into what the products purpose is, so before I read into what it can completely do for me, I search for the price. Sometimes, I have to search a lot harder than I really want to, thus I lose interest in the product all together. Game over.

For example, after we got engaged, Valerie and I started to put together our ideas as to what we wanted are wedding to look like.

The most important thing for us, outside of the venue in San Diego, was the photographer. So our initial web search took us to different photographers throughout the San Diego area. If I was on a photographer’s website, or any wedding vendor website for that matter, and it didn’t have a price sheet, I’d move on to the next one.

It’s no different than shopping for a car. The main company website may have starting prices of the car, but when you really want to find out what the car will cost you, you head to the dealer website. If you’re like me, you’d rather not call to find out, because they will want you to come down and see the car, and then they’ll discuss the price.

It’s important to know what kind of price you might be looking at paying before really finding out if they are worth having at your wedding. At least when you meet with the vendor, both you and the vendor will know you are somewhat serious about having them as a part of your wedding.

But the most common of all the non-priced wedding vendors happens to be the business we are in, wedding planning.

For the reasons expressed above, that is why we at Blueprint Affairs publish our package pricing on our website, along with what it includes. And best yet, you still get a free one hour consultation so that we can see if we are a fit for your wedding.

For additional information or to schedule a free one hour consultation, visit the Blueprint Affairs website or email info@blueprintaffairs.com today.

Twirl’s “Serial Bridesmaid” Contest

Ever see the movie 27 Dresses? I guess that is a silly question.

Well, it just so happens that the owners of Twirl Boutique of both Arizona and Kentucky have been bridesmaids themselves a combined 27 times.

That is a little bit ironic.

Twirl has come up with its own way of finding the QUEEN of “serial bridesmaids” with the opportunity to win great prizes.

All you have to do is submit your personal stories of being a bridesmaid and explain why you think you are the ultimate serial bridesmaid.

Some topics to consider in writing your story include: What sets you apart other than being a bridesmaid so many times? What money have you spent? What wild and wacky dresses have you had to wear? What hair styles did you have to submit yourself to? Where have you traveled? How have you helped to put out fires at weddings? What showers have you thrown?

Twirl is looking for honest, heartfelt and humorous stories. There are many unique instances that could set you apart from every other serial bridesmaid.

To submit your stories to be considered in Arizona (if you live here or will be traveling here), email: angela@twirlboutique.com.

The prizes are as follows:

• 1st Place: Up to $250.00 to spend on a dress at Twirl Scottsdale
• 2nd Place: 10% off wedding services for the entire bridal party at Dolce Salon & Spa
• 3rd Place: "Whateverz" spa set personalized with "serial bridesmaid"

The contest ends at midnight on July 31st. Winners will be announced the week of August 16th along with the stories on the Twirl blog.

{Summer Selections} Rocking Out!

Music is synonymous with a rocking reception. There’s nothing better than watching your guests get out on the dance floor enjoying the music the DJ has readily prepared. Planning for a DJ is a definite must and will make the biggest impact on your wedding day. Plan to spend about 10% of your wedding budget on this must-have and my right-hand person. The experienced DJ also works with your planner to keep the flow of your reception throughout the evening.

iPod or bust?

For many couples, the thought of scraping together the budget for a DJ seems like a second thought and most would like to plug in an iPod. However, the iPod only plays music, no experience, no song suggestions, and no personality, says Eric Cheroske, owner of Got You Covered. There is no way of recovering a crowd vying for different jams than preselected on your iPod. Here’s a link that Eric found on why not to use an iPod: http://www.i-newswire.com/the-ipod-wedding-disaster/32343

Get The Party Started

Plan to meet with your DJ for a wrap-up meeting at least two weeks before your wedding. This will help you review some of final song choices and review the flow of your reception. Prepare your DJ with the genre you want and don’t want played at your wedding. Expert DJ’s have the skills to match the music to your preferences and also pick other crowd pleasers you’d be happy to hear. Eric shared that he once saw the grandfather of the groom who was celebrating his 90th birthday on the same day of the wedding. The grandfather managed to “moonwalk” across the floor in front of all the guests right after he had received a birthday surprise. Stories like this should help remind you how important it is to have music to bring out the fun in your party. Every couple wants to have the wedding of the year or century! It takes a great DJ to make those memories happen.

{Summer Selections} Capture Sights and Sounds

Capture your wedding day for many years to come with video. Not everyone thinks they can afford it but many couples wish they did it after the wedding is over. Good quality is not inexpensive but it is affordable if Videography is a priority says Taryn Bills, owner of Serendipity Videography. The nice part about Serendipity besides their catchy name is their sister company, Simply Cinema for the budget minded brides.


Best Features

Taryn loves the couples who will do interviews, encourage guest well wishes during the reception, and allow them to capture every element of the day. Your wedding day is the story untold and Serendipity adds a splash of Videography and music to the final video to make a movie all about you. With great lighting, the romance and essence of your day flows perfectly into a classic storybook wedding.

Final Cut

The emotional and funny parts of your wedding day add character to your wedding movie. Taryn says truly the best stories are told through the view finder of the camera by focusing on the emotion of the couple’s wedding day not by editing effects. One of the effects they use to create emotion that I love is the time lapse watching your ceremony location go from empty to full of guests before the procession begins. Prior to your wedding, Taryn and her team ask who are the important people in your life, special moments you love, and those family members you can’t wait to interview.

Best Video

All couples you talk to know they made the right choice with having video after they see the finished product. You can’t have too many memories of your wedding day. Think of your wedding day as a fast forward button stuck and you race through your day. I love watching my own wedding video and catch special moments that guests had during my wedding that I missed. If you’re leaning on no for video, consider how much you’ll remember when playing back your vows or best man toast. It’s surreal to watch those you love talk about your happiest day of your life.


A taste of video elegance partnered with Blueprint Affairs:

Jason & Daris at Sassi from Serendipity Videography on Vimeo.

{Summer Selections} Wedding Culinary Menus

All social gatherings are better with food. They are the central focal point of the gathering and the reasons why people will linger or leave early says Noelle Salinas, Owner of Fresh from the Kitchen, LLC. Everyone has been to a wedding that hosted a gourmet style menu and one that lacked any flavor. It’s your job as the couple to give your guests and you a menu fancied with beautiful flavors and creative touches. You may be finding yourself lacking the funds for a huge fete but it’s ok to discover a new trend such as appetizer parties. Noelle says that dinner food favorites like Macaroni and Cheese are being passed as hors d’euvres. She loves to jazz it up by serving it with goat cheese and pecorino romano sauce served in a tiny martini glass with a gratin topping. Kids and adults are raving about this fun addition.


Buffet or Plated?

Buffets require less work by the catering company that equates to less cost by you. Choose the menu style that fits your wedding style. A more formal wedding is suited for a plated dinner versus a less formal wedding would be great with a buffet line. Your guests will love having the options in a buffet but be careful of the hearty eaters. In some cases, the buffet can actually cost more if the menu is too elaborate for the style wedding you have in mind.

Info to Know

Good catering isn’t cheap. The best part of your family and friend get togethers is the food. Everyone ‘breaks bread’ together and it should be important to pay close attention to quality. Caterers like Fresh from the Kitchen know how to work with all budgets. Be honest with your caterer and they will think of creative ways to indulge your culinary palette while staying in your budget. Reserve your caterer at least six months in advance. Last minute planning can be stressful. Make your wedding day easier.

{Summer Selections} Out Style Your Bridesmaids

Wishes are made to come true. This is especially true at a local salon in Scottsdale called the Wish Salon. Owner, Taryn Hitchings found her niche in the heart of downtown Scottsdale. Her job is to bring out the luscious curls and accent the highlights that ladies would love to have. One of my recent brides also found herself getting dolled up in Taryn’s chair on her wedding day. As the wedding coordinator, I like to join my brides to make sure their hair and makeup ladies (and some gentlemen) arrive on time. This was easy as the hair stylist and fellow makeup artist, Shayla, were both on hand at the Wish Salon.

Now that we learned what Taryn can do, let’s learn what’s new and hot!

Brides are finding they love loose waves, fun curls, big body, and fabulous textured updo’s says Taryn. She knows exactly how to bring out your style and perfect wedding day look in every wedding setting. The best thing that I love about her work is her ability to bring out the natural beauty in every girl. Every bride wants to stand out and have each guest stand in awe of how gorgeous she looks. Think about how you want to be remembered on your wedding day. Snip out pictures of your favorite hair styles and note how you want to feel on your wedding day. Depending on the weather, think about updo’s versus halves ‘sies (half up and half down style).

Don’t forget that you need to do a trial run for before your wedding day to see how your hair will look. Take pictures and feel comfortable and confident in the style you chose. There is nothing set in stone after the trial run so make sure to tell your stylist the look you want to create. This is your day to shine and having the right stylist team will get you there.

SPECIAL EDITION || Iris D Bridal Boutique Grand Opening

Veils, dresses, and jewelry – Oh My! Tempe, Arizona now has a new bridal boutique to satisfy any blushing bride’s needs. Today was the grand opening of the Iris D Bridal boutique and Blueprint Affairs was on-site to take in all the trendy wedding fashions. Iris Drevet, Owner of Iris D Bridal has branded herself through her online store until now to bring Arizona brides a place to call home. The boutique offers custom bridal, bridesmaid, and flower girl dresses, veils, ceremony items, and jewelry to fit any girl’s dreams. Their boutique is located at 520 West Warner Road, Tempe, AZ 85284 (easily accessible off I-10 and Warner Road)

Working with vendors across the valley, I’m thrilled to see the networking take place by some of my preferred vendors. The beautiful flower décor provided by Ever After Florals highlighted the roomy fitting rooms and open show room. Then, I quickly rested my eyes on the custom cookies by Couture Cookie Company that are so delicious. Laura Segall Photography, Curtis Whipple, Snap Booth and a few other wedding vendors have already discovered this soon-to-be valley favorite for all brides and their bridal party.

Take an hour and stop by to take advantage of the 25% discount on everything in the store for today and tomorrow only!

Blissful Blueprint Winner

Blueprint Affairs would like to congratulate Dee and Jason, the winner of the Blissful Blueprint Contest, and the free Day-of-Wedding Coordinator package.

Dee first met her husband to be, Jason, online and their first date was October 9, 2007 (which happened to be her sister's wedding anniversary). After dating for just over two years, Jason and Dee were hanging out the day before Thanksgiving. Dee made her way upstairs after a long day to rest her eyes. It was then that Jason came up to the room and laid down beside her. Jason then told Dee he loved her and asked her to marry him, and of course, she said yes.

Dee and Jason are thrilled to be getting married at Sassi in Scottsdale, Arizona in the spring of 2010.

We are so happy to share their important day with them and make their day a great experience.

Go Stress Free on Your Wedding Day

Guys, here is an opportunity to give your bride one of the best gifts of all on her wedding day: the gift of enjoyment that comes with a stress free wedding day.

So how do you make this happen? Simple, enter the Blissful Blueprint Contest for a chance to win a free day-of-wedding coordinator. And this is not a contest giving this special service to just one lucky couple, but three!

Take it from me. I did the good deed and handled most of the interaction on my wedding day with the vendors, so that my bride to be could relax with her friends and get her hair done, etc. It can be pretty stressful, and nine times out of ten, if you don’t have a wedding coordinator, that role most often than not, will fall on the bride. She doesn’t need to be bogged down with answering every little vendor question on your wedding day, and neither do you, so that’s why I recommend, at the very least, a day-of-wedding coordinator.

So, all you need to do is go to http://www.blueprintaffairs.com/ and click on the Blissful Blueprint Contest link on the main page of the website. Then, write about your romantic proposal that got her to say yes, and how you envision your wedding day, submit through the contest email, and you’re that much closer to winning a free day-of-wedding coordinator. But don’t wait too long, the contest ends February 12.

But what if you don’t win? You still may be eligible to receive up to $250 off the day-of-wedding coordinator package. So it’s a win for everyone.

Good luck everyone and until next Monday at 3:33 p.m., enjoy your week!

Venue Me || How to Choose Your Venue

Time is ticking on finding the perfect wedding venue. No one said this would be an easy task. On another thought, you really may have no clue what to do when it comes to scouting out a venue and figuring out the next steps. I’m here to tell you that this is your first step after the engagement because your entire wedding hinges on the location of your ceremony and reception (of course, this is easier when both at same location). The venue sets the tone and allows you to select colors, styles, and food choices that fit your preferences.


Close To Home

Choosing a venue close to home saves time and money. This allows you to closely monitor all the special details and take tours of the venue open houses. This is a great way to select local vendors and have a green, eco-friendly wedding. Arizona also provides gorgeous sunsets and many fine venues that range from reception only sites to full-service resorts. Some venues require your vendor choices be selected from a preapproved list. This may help you find ease at “shopping” at once but may limit your favorite photographer that you can’t live without.

Stateside Selections

In all its beautiful colors and landscape, Arizona does miss the unmistakable beachside views that you yearn to see in your pictures. You may find wish to for a beach wedding soaking up the rays on the beach. Take a weekend trip six months or more prior to wedding to meet with potential vendors. Contact area venues for their vendor recommendations as this will be a current referral (vendor lists are seldom updated online).

Tropical or International Calling Card

The economy is not the only factor driving this exciting romance getaway. Your friends and family play a large part in attendance on your day. Determine if your friends and family will need a passport and/or visa for your destination wedding. I strongly recommend using a travel planner for booking hotel and flights. The Swine Flu was a big roadblock for weddings and honeymooners in 2009 causing resort closures all over. Be prepared for any unexplained natural or biomedical disaster and renovations that may leave you stranded. Destination weddings can truly be a breathtaking and magical experience for you and your guests when planned out.

Stay tuned for the BLUEman coming up on Monday at 3:33 p.m.

Also, don't forget to enter the Blissful Blueprint Contest. There is about 2 weeks left until we select 3 lucky brides!

Blissful Blueprint Contest

Blissful Blueprint Contest


Blueprint Affairs, a wedding and event planning business serving the Metro Phoenix area, would like to present three lucky brides with their own dream wedding. Due to recent struggles in the economy, more than ever brides are feeling the stress of their wedding day, and we are offering three lucky brides a wedding day gift. We will be selecting our Blissful Blueprint brides during Valentine’s Day weekend. The criteria will be based on your ability to describe your romantic engagement and how you envision your romantic wedding day. Bliss is in the air! You will be entering to win a FREE Day-of-Wedding Coordinator for a stress-free special day.

We will meet together at least 30 days prior to your wedding to review all your vendor contracts. During our meeting we can discuss a wedding day timeline, review the vendors for your wedding day, and go over your ceremony and reception needs.

As your personal wedding coordinator, we will bring together all the special details so that you and your family can enjoy your day. This also includes one (1) hour for rehearsal day to prepare the entire wedding party for your walk down the aisle. Handled with grace and full preparation, you will feel at ease with a stress-free wedding you have always imagined.

Entry Information: To enter, email contest@blueprintaffairs.com with the following information, which must be received no later than February 12, 2010:

1. Bride Name and Contact Information
2. Groom Name and Contact Information
3. Wedding Date and Wedding Location
4. Describe your romantic proposal: (limit to 300 words)
5. Describe how you envision your romantic wedding day: (limit 300 words)



RULES AND REGULATIONS
• One entry per couple.
• You must be 18 years of age and a resident of Arizona to enter.
• Winners will be posted on the blog and www.blueprintaffairs.com.
• Prize must be claimed within two weeks of notification.
• The prize is not transferable to any other person nor is it redeemable for monetary value.
• Blueprint Affairs reserve the right to use the winner's name and photographs for publicity purposes.
• The day-of-wedding coordination package is for a maximum of 125 guests.
• Winner will be responsible for tax and gratuity for all contracted wedding vendors.
• Your wedding must take place no earlier than March 15, 2010, and no later than September 30, 2010.
• The wedding date may not conflict with any pre-existing Blueprint Affairs wedding and/or event booking dates.
• No substitution for the prize is allowed.
• Wedding and reception must be held within the Phoenix Metro area.
• Winners may choose to upgrade the wedding package with Blueprint Affairs at their own expense.

Venue Me || Bring Your Fiance

After my Open House visit last night with the Boojum Tree in Phoenix, I realized that there is more to searching for a venue. The one fine element includes your fiancé. I have always heard how many fiancé’s are either stuck at home or arrive kicking and screaming to the venue. Last night was such a surprise to hear each fiancé engrossed in the conversation and asking thoughtful questions. I have to wonder what the new shift in newly engaged couples has been to provoke such a bonding experience in wedding planning. Many of you are shaking your heads that this will never be your fiancé. Heck this is football season and sports or not, some men are hard to convince.

Sports Junkie

A little extra thought is required so think of the evening possibilities when it comes to your Sports Junkie. Consider the scheduled venues to not overlap on his favorite game night. This is a good time to clue into what team he roots for and check the game rosters. Make a checklist of your favorite venues and focus your attention on those open houses. This may include scouting out the local pubs and sports bars close to the venue. He will be thrilled that you helped him catch the live action immediately following your venue venture.

Late Nighter

Working a full-time job for your Late Nighter may not be flexible for a weekday walkthrough. Being thoughtful to present your fiancé with available dates and times to schedule a one-on-one walk through with the event staff is ideal. Many locations provide weeknight and weekend tours. This will show your fiancé how important the venue selection process is to you and help him keep his calendar in order. Try to not overwhelm yourself or your fiancé with too many appointments in one week. Pace yourself and have fun. Bringing snacks or a quick bite after work for him will also ease his hunger pains and help him be more agreeable.

Not His Thing

Some men prefer to have the bride do all the planning and the cliché is “they just show up at the wedding”. Your wedding is meant to represent a day that joins both of you in a loving, committed relationship. In this case, think like a man and schedule venue tours around things that really interest him. Many vendors including cake, DJ, photography, and catering will indulge different sides of his personality with their presented services. I always find that the cake and catering vendors strike it easy with the groom’s by offering delicious samples. Do your research on what your fiancé likes because he may just buddy up with the DJ over their favorite 80’s rock tunes.

Check out BLUEman the Male Perspective every Monday at 3:33 pm to learn more.