{Engaged Me} Royally Accessorize my Dress!

Bridal fashions stand center stage in our minds and you can't help but keep up with the likes of Kate and William's royal wedding plans. If you're keeping up with their wedding, every wedding detail is on display including the dress. You may or may not like the styles or just want to make your dress stand bold amongst the other wedding gowns. Iris D Bridal hinted at a fun trend this past week that I find especially pleasing to the eye to make your dress look really amazing, bridal belts. They come in floral designs, beading, black with feathering just to name a few. See some of these belts below. There are styles for every girls tastes and they fit any size. This is great news for any bride that wants fashion without a shopping headache. The fun part about these new accessories is that they are all around $150 each.

Grab your girls and mom to try on these fun new accessories and even pick out your wedding dress. Or, if your dress is already picked, bring a picture of your dress to match up the style that coordinates best. This is the fun part of shopping when you start styling your perfect day.

 Girly Crystal Belt

 Fabric Floral Belt

Black Belt  (One of my favs)

You can find more of these bridal belts along with gowns and accessories at Iris D Bridal. They have an online shop and a boutique located in Tempe, Arizona off of the I-10.

Ask for Kristen Barker for your exclusive wedding consultation appointment.

{A New Year} Time for Redesign

Wedding planning is underway for many of my brides planning their 2011 weddings. This past year I talked about pumping up my marketing and now I have done it. With the help of Adam at The Wedding Vendor, we have finally unleashed a fabulous new design of our website that will make our search results more visible to perspective brides. My planning continues to focus on a modern, clean look with a romantic feel. I love starting a new year with great news and by continuing my passion for helping brides in their quest for an amazing wedding day.

Our website is http://www.blueprintaffairs.com/

Something new that you’ll see is that we are now a Sandals Certified Specialist that provides our couples great honeymoon memories. While on our website, visit our contact us page or visit the Sandals link to learn more about how we can help you plan your Sandals Resort honeymoons. Through our affiliation with the Association of Bridal Consultants, our clients receive more one-on-one specialized services while planning their wedding day and honeymoon.

One thing we don’t shy away from is displaying the prices for the packages we provide. That is why on our website you will see the detailed information on our packages along with their corresponding rates.

We hope you will take this time to visit our updated website and look forward to hearing from you so we can start planning your wedding or event.

Technology is King

BLUEman: The Male Perspective

In this every changing world of technology, it’s hard to know which product is the best. iPhone or Android? iPad or Galaxy tablet? Whatever your choice may be, tablets give a much bigger viewing area to view websites or apps that you may download, that phones would not.

Say for instance you’re out driving around and doing some shopping for your wedding day: decorations, wedding day outfits, etc. You can download a barcode app that allows you to scan an item and quickly look up more information about it, and even perhaps find a better deal for that same product online.

But how about planning a wedding and having every detail about your budget to vendors at your fingertips? Any contract you sign can be easily scanned to PDF and stored on a custom folder on your tablet so you can bring it up at any time to review deliverables of the vendor, or their contact info if you need to get a hold of them.

In addition, there are apps that allow help you to plan your wedding directly from your phone or tablet. The best of these apps appears to be from WeddingWire, with nearly a four out of five star rating. Both the Android and iPhone/Pad apps have a budget tracker (to track payments made to vendors and to ensure you stay within your budgetary constraints), and a checklist that you can customize to your specific wedding day needs. If you need help finding a vendor, you can even search local vendors in your area as well.

The one thing I like about the Samsung Galaxy tablet, sold at Verizon Wireless, is you can get month to month based service on the 3G network for as little as $20 per month for 1GB of downloads/uploads. That’s plenty, because if you’re in any area that has Wi-Fi connectivity, you can most likely use that network for free. iPads have similar capabilities on the Verizon and AT&T networks as well.

If you’re a technical junkie like me, you’ll love utilizing these new easy to use and easy to carry tablets. It’s helped us a lot more in our day to day wedding planning business, and I know they will help you stay on track to your big day as well.

{Engaged Me} Where to Start

Congratulations! You’ve joined the millions of lucky ladies to get engaged around the holidays. I know that I had 2 close friends get engaged during the Christmas break and New Year’s Eve. It’s a very exciting time to celebrate a time every girl dreams about to share her life with an amazing husband. I know you are picturing a fabulous wedding day as you gaze at this picture. Now it’s time to get moving on your wedding planning and don’t stress…this is just to get your feet wet about what you like and don’t like.

Visit the Bridal Shows

Start easy - You should prepare yourself now because every vendor will be vying for your attention. For many ladies, grab a few girlfriends and/or family and hit the local bridal shows. Bring comfy shoes, address labels (oh you will see why), and an open frame of mind. You’re not booking vendors on this visit but learning who to call back after the show. My good friend and bridal boutique owner, Iris D Bridal has a Groupon to save you money at the Phoenix Bridal Show on January 8-9th. Here’s a link to her blog for more information- click here.

If you can’t catch that show, the Sedona Bridal Fair will be hosted on Saturday, February 26th, the Great Bridal Expo in Phoenix is on Sunday, March 13th, and the East Valley Bridal Show on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Take your pick ladies of many fabulous events throughout Arizona in preparation of your wedding.

Take Venue Tours

The best way to love your venue is to take a tour. There are several venues throughout the valley who host free venue tours. Below are a few to choose from offering open house tours:

East Valley Open Houses:

• Trilogy Golf Club at Power Ranch - January 11, 2011 || 4 to 7 p.m.
• The Windmill Winery - January 22, 2011 || 4 to 8 p.m.
• Tre Bella - January 26, 2011 || 6 to 8 p.m.
• Secret Garden - Every Wednesday || 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

West Valley Open Houses:

• Boojum Tree - Every Tuesday || 6 to 8 p.m.
• Virginia’s House - January 13, 2011 || 4 to 8 p.m.

Scottsdale Open Houses:

• Sassi Scottsdale - January 16, 2011 || Noon to 3 p.m.
• Troon North - January 28, 2011 || 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

{Back 2 Wedding Basics} Food Tastings

Culinary cuisines are the way to a man's heart and a the way to a great wedding. Starting with a great menu is something that should be carefully planned. Everyone loves to attend a wedding with great food. It sets the tone and makes the evening. The best compliment the couple can receive on their wedding night is how amazing everything tastes and looks.

Take some time to discover some great cuisines in Arizona. I enjoy the tasty creations that Noelle Salinas, owner of Fresh from the Kitchen, whips up in her kitchen. I have referred many couples to this catering company because of their selection in fresh menu ideas and affordable prices. The best part about Noelle is she works with my clients to fit their budget and their food style. She can create many ethnic, authentic, and unique styles that traditional caterers are unable to make.

Check out her next tasting at Bella Giardino, September 16, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
Contact Noelle at 602-694-1197 to reserve your spot during their next tasting.
Below is the decadent menu provided.

Menu


Starters:
Fruit and Cheese Display

Passed:


Pear and Gorgonzola Crostini
Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Dinner:


Spinach Salad with Red Onions, Feta Cheese, and Poppy Seed Dressing
Classic Caesar Salad
Chicken Picatta
Chicken Marsala
Prime Rib with Au Jus (Carving Station)
Wild Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Fresh Herbs
Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

Buttered Green Bean and Carrots
Our Amazing Creamed Corn
Vegetarian Lasagna


Dessert:
Miniature Wedding Cupcakes
Miniature Pecan, Pumpkin, Apple Streusel, and Key Lime Pie
Miniature Fresh Fruit Tarts
Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole with Currants

{Back 2 Wedding Basics} Fashion and E-Sessions

Recently, Michelle Myers of Shelly Love Photography met with my styling session couple Ashley and Eric. Their photo session displayed the fun, artistic and sassy side of fashion photojournalism.

Michelle Myers and I love working together to bring the most out of each engagement session for our wedding couples.

For Ashley and Eric, these pictures pave the way for their wedding in the spring of 2011.

For more information about styling sessions, contact Valerie with Blueprint Affairs today valerie@blueprintaffairs.com.

Visit Shelly Love Photography to view more photos of her high quality work.

{Back 2 Wedding Basics} Hot Wedding Fashion Trends

The Association of Bridal Consultants holds monthly, annual and national conferences for local planners and vendors. These meetings bring together HOT new ideas and fabulous vendors that my brides love choosing over and over again.

Wedding Gowns

Top priority-always looking amazing in your wedding dress. Pam Hardy, co-owner of Almond Tree Wedding Boutique commented that one strap sleeves "golden age of Hollywood" are filtering their way into bride's hearts. Brides are wanting to keep it simple. Keeping it classic on your wedding day may be a look you are aiming for. Many brides are veering away from the strapless look and adding sleeves or a partial jacket. The hardest part when shopping is finding your size if you're larger than size 12. Do your research on the type of dress you like and call the boutique prior to your visit to check for larger sizes.

Bridemaid Dresses

Keeping it short is how many bridesmaids are wearing their dresses. Sticking with the eco-friendly notion in shopping, girls are still looking for bridesmaid dresses that can be worn again. Not necessarily for the next friends wedding but out-on-the-town. Gorgeous silk fabrics like those found at Twirl Boutique keep many bridesmaids very happy. This includes dressing up the waist area with special belts and broaches.  

                                             

To Veil or Not To Veil

Do you have your something borrowed or something old? Consider a vintage feather hair piece in lieu of a veil if you are looking for a classic look. In some cases, see if you mom or sister (in-law's) have a veil to borrow for your day. The nice part about finding your wedding dress so early (7 months or earlier) is many shops include your veil for free. Check out the deals you can but don't settle on anything that doesn't leave you with a glowing feeling. Try on your hair accessory and dress together with your shoes.

Take it all in. This look will mark the beginning of your new life.