Have you heard?

If you are reading ANY bridal magazine, you have seen an advertisement for Dessy. Dessy group is the leading manufacturer of bridesmaids dresses, social occasions dresses, flower girl dresses and destination wedding gowns. Dessy, together with Pantone LLC, the global authority on color and provider of professional color for the design industries, have launched the Pantone Wedding color guide. This is the ultimate wedding color guide for brides and planners. The Pantone Wedding color guide is a collection of color tools that makes it easy for a bride to achieve a perfectly color-coordinated wedding.

The HOT color for 2010 is Pantone 15-5519. Otherwise known as Turquoise!

Dessy allows you to choose a wedding day color palette and also create inspiration boards that you can share with your bridal party, family and vendors. You can also order swatches or cards of your chosen colors to make sure your colors are spot on! This is an invaluable site for the bride who hasn't quite decided what colors to choose, or what accent colors to use. I"m totally

addicted to this site!

Black, charcoal and pale yellow

New England Shoreline

Oyster, Daisy and Clementine

Arkansas Razorback Football schedule for 2010

We all know it affects our 'ideal' wedding date. If not for our spouse(s), then for our guest list; Arkansas Razorback football! Keep these dates in mind when scheduling your 2010 wedding date; if you don't mind your guest count dwindling or everyone watching the game via their iPhones. Enjoy!



Date Opponent Location



September 4, 2010 Tennessee Tech Fayetteville, AR

September 11,2010 Louisiana-Monroe Little Rock, AR

September 18, 2010 Georgia Georgia

September 25,2010 Alabama Fayetteville

October 9,2010 Texas A&M Texas

October 16,2010 Auburn Auburn

October 23,2010 Ole Miss Fayetteville, AR

October 30, 2010 Vanderbuilt Fayetteville, AR

November 6, 2010 South Carolina South Carolina

November 13, 2010 UTEP Fayetteville, AR

November 20, 2010 Mississippi State Mississippi

November 27, 2010 LSU Little Rock, AR

Real Wedding in Northwest Arkansas

I have great plans for 2010 and am going to try to highlight real weddings in Northwest Arkansas! This real wedding took place at the Fellowship church in Lowell, Arkansas by my dear friend's at Beaty Photography! I only wish they were in business when I was married seven years ago!

What a precious couple! For more photographs on this wedding make sure to check out Beaty Photography!

Mastering Wedding Etiquette

Today's etiquette question covers a topic that is beginning to bring up heated debate!

Question: How can I tell my guests that children are not allowed?

Answer: The truly proper way to indicate that children are not allowed at your wedding ceremony is to simply not put their names on the invitation.

However, many guests may not be familiar with proper etiquette and will not pick up on the message that their little angels are not invited simply because their name(s) are not on the invitation. In this case, you can:

• Place a message on your wedding website


• Provide another piece of stationary with your invitation, not on your invitation, that indicates that a nursery will be provided


• Provide list of reputable babysitting services


• Arrange a pizza party or other fun event for the children at a relative's home during the ceremony


• Or you can simply ask your mother to begin to spread the word to family members.

IF they are allowed to the reception, providing them with their own entertainment table can ease their anxiety. Provide crayons and coloring books, puzzles, playdough, etch a sketches and other age appropriate toys to keep them entertained.

As long as you give your guests ample notice to make necessary arrangements for their children, it should be a wonderful event for all!

Mastering Wedding Etiquette

Now that we are officially in "the" wedding planning season, I am going to start to highlight and answer some of the top wedding etiquette questions being asked today. If you have an etiquette question, please feel free to leave a comment on the blog!

Question: When do we display our married logo?

Answer: Proper etiquette states that you are only to display your married logo after the ceremony. So your married logo should not be used on wedding invitations, save the dates, ceremony programs, thank you cards for showers, etc. You can use just the bride's initial or the bride and groom's initials for all pre-ceremony stationary and then have your married monogram on your cocktail napkins, dance floor gobo, wedding cake, favors, etc.

Note: The order of a monogram is as follows:
Groom's first initial, your last name initial, and the bride's first name initial

(R) for Ryan (L) for Langston and (S) for Shannon
RLS

NWA Bride Premier Showcase Booth

I had to create a mini candy buffet that was convenient for patrons to collect goodies and also address sanitary concerns. I created three urns with different and convenient candies:

"Mint for each other" was wrapped around a glass urn that held peppermints

"Double the fun" marked the double bubble bubble gum

"Bliss" highlighted the assorted chocolates

All three glass urns were set on a white serving tray with white peonies

Our booth held two cocktail tables. This was the "elegant and sophisticated" table that was covered in a silver/gray crushed tablecloth with a silver/gray runner. It also had two tall vases of cream Spider mums and Gerber daisies .Tea light candles in crystal candle holders set off an elegant glow.

The vibrant Peacock table. It was great to see other vendors highlighting this beautiful color scheme on cakes, invitations and in floral bouquets! The colors are beautiful, sophisticated and fun! They are also pair wonderful with other accent colors for 2010.

The beautiful black chandelier I suspended from supporting poles in our booth. I then wrapped the poles with silver drapes and suspended the chandelier with black silk ribbon.

Our "Dream Day" Giveaway was highlighted on our front table. All registration entries were placed in this huge Pilsner vase for a great visual display!

A simple and elegant white peonie was submerged in a glass vase with a white floating candle on top (not lit here)


My business cards were held in this silver tray with reflecting crystals

It was a wonderful and busy show! There were many enthusiastic 2010 and 2011 brides that I loved meeting and discussing how I can help with your wedding details. Please call to schedule a consultation and see how your wedding can be "A Party to Perfection".

NWA Bride Premier Showcase wrap up

The turnout at the NWA Bride Premier Showcase today was beyond my expectations! I had the opportunity to meet with some wonderful 2010 and 2011 brides in Northwest Arkansas and am excited to begin working with you! Thank you all for stopping by our booth and registering for our "Dream Day" Giveaway. The contest package is valued at over $4,000 worth of great goodies and the winner will be notified by March 20, 2010. Make sure to check out the prize package and contest rules for any updates.

There is an enormous amount of information and marketing material received at bridal shows that it can be difficult to organize and process. Please check out my website for packages that I offer and please call to schedule an appointment to discuss your wedding needs!

Color Mania!

I love color! I love monochromatic schemes, warm tones, pastels, and off the wall color combinations; I love it all! Brides usually know right away that they want "pink" as a wedding color, but may have a difficult time deciding what color(s) to choose as accents. You can check here for a great color design source! I could spend hours on this site choosing a monochromatic, complementary, and triad color combination. 2010 has lots of fabulous new color trends and I am sure you can find a color scheme that will wow you and your guests!

A huge thank you to our "Dream Day" Giveaway Sponsors

We are starting the registration for the "Dream Day" Giveaway this Saturday at the NWA Bride Premier Showcase at the Springdale Holiday Inn Convention Center from 10:00-4:00 pm! We have a great prize package that we will be giving to one random bride in March 2010 and it wouldn't be possible without these wonderful Northwest Arkansas vendors:

BriGeorge Photography

Check these out

I'm an avid reader and have been overwhelmed with all of the wonderful new trends, products, designs, traditions and personalization of today's weddings; things have surely changed since my wedding seven years ago! Here are just a few things I think are worth checking out! Enjoy.

Omnibride.com

Think google for brides-this site allows you to search for a specific request, like edible favors and DIY place cards, within all wedding-related content. Find trends, daily giveaways and contests, plus the most recent wedding blog posts.

These nonslip aisle runners from Original Runners look fabulous and just might save you from tripping in your heels during the ceremony. You can choose from runners with flourishes, seasonal patterns, monograms, hand sewn crystals or have them create a custom runner to match your wedding theme.

These are just too perfect! These personalized hangers from Lila Frances would always be a momentum from your wedding worth saving. Can we say...photo op! You could choose your nickname, married name, a heart, a word of inspiration or faith, whatever you wish. These would also make great gifts for your bridesmaids and are super affordable. Your dress, veil or wedding lingerie will look timeless next to these!

Bridal Shows: What to Bring With You and What to Leave at Home

If you haven't noticed, Bridal fairs, shows, expos, showcases, etc. are everywhere! This post discussed several ways to survive a bridal show and what to expect. This post from "I will" to "I Do" offers tips on what to bring and what to leave at home. You will appreciate these simple tips o you can focus on your planning and not on juggling your paperwork. Enjoy!

Planning 101- Budget

It is probably THE busiest planning season for brides, and coordinators! Thousands of brides are just beginning their wedding planning and realizing what a daunting task this is! It isn't just fun details like deciding on colors and the gorgeous dress, but the headaches of bigger issues, like your budget! To those of you who read my blog you are aware that I do not condone going into debt to pay for your one "perfect" day, but to decide on a wedding budget and stick with it.

First, decide who is going to help contribute to your wedding. If you are one of the 59% of today's couples paying for your wedding, you should know what your budget is early on and be able to stick with it. Are your parents paying for 100% or only certain expenses?

Second, sit down with both sets of parents and have the "budget talk". If they are willing to contribute, how much? Are your parents paying for certain expenses like the dress ,cake, reception and lodging? Are the groom's parents paying for the caterer and alcohol? Everyone needs to feel comfortable with what they are able and willing to help pay for.

Third, will the money go into a special wedding account,will they give you the total amount up front, or will they provide you with the money when the vendors need to be paid? Getting all of this settled in the beginning will help to ease stress as the wedding plans progress and more and more vendors are required payment simultaneously.

Once you know how much your wedding budget is you should start to feel more comfortable as you begin to contact vendors. You should also decide which details of your planning are more important to you. Are you just hard set on getting married in this church, but not so picky about the species of flowers in your bouquet? Are you just determined to have this specific DJ and ice sculpture? You can give your budget an adjustment when you determine what is really most important to you and your groom.

The contest just got better!

After much contemplation we have decided to open the "Dream Day" Giveaway to ALL brides! We want every bride-to-be to have the opportunity to win this great prize package for her perfect day and have the opportunity to work with some wonderful vendors in Northwest Arkansas. But wait, it gets better! If you sign a contract with A Party to Perfection or BriGeorgePhotography, you are entered into the contest twice. And, if you sign with us both to coordinate and photograph your wedding, you are entered into the giveaway three times!



How to enter:

Stop by our booth at the January 16th Premier Bridal Show at the Springdale Convention Center from 10:00am-4:00pm and register or simply call or leave a comment on my blog asking to be entered into the competition and please leave your contact information! It's that easy!



The winner will be drawn at random on March 16th and notified by March 20th.



Call today to schedule an appointment to see how your event can be "A Party to Perfection".

Shannon (479) 422-1697

Dream Day Giveaway Package

It is time to unveil the wonderful Dream Day Giveaway prize package!

The prize package includes:

• A "Day of" wedding coordination from A Party to Perfection


• Engagement, Bridal and Wedding photography from BriGeorgePhotography


• Two free months of Jazzercise


• Three one hour ballroom dance lessons by Kevin Smith ballroom dance


• 50% off a "By the Season" floral package by Rose of Sharon


• Bridal luncheon provided by Shelby Lynn's Cake Shoppe


• Cake stand and cake stand linens by Eventures


• Wedding Reception DJ services provided by Brock Entertainment


• 1 month bootcamp where we guarantee either one dress size or pant size loss in 28 days and a gully detailed online nutritional from Precision Fitness


• 25% off of the "Gold Package" or 25% off of a custom "Love Story" video from James Michael Smith Videography *depends on vendor availability which discount the bride will receive


• The winner will be featured in an upcoming issue of the Northwest Arkansas Wedding Ideas magazine

Wow! Make sure to check back because new vendors are joining monthly! The contest will run from January to March 2010 with the winner being drawn on March 16th! You can read here for contest rules and make sure to check us out January 16th at the Premier Bridal Show at the Springdale Convention Center.

We definitely would like to thank all of our wonderful Northwest Arkansas paticipating vendors for helping to make this a great prize package for a 2010 or 2011 bride!

Dream Day Giveaway Contest Rules

I am so excited to finally share with you what we have been working so hard on! I am starting 2010 off with a bang and a fantastic giveaway! Brides who attend the January 16th Premier Bridal Show or who contact us can register to win our "Dream Day" Giveaway! I will be listing the prize package and the wonderful Northwest Arkansas vendors who are participating in the giveaway, as well as the contest rules here on my blog. Be sure to keep checking back for updates on the contest because new vendors are joining monthly!

Synopsis:
This is NOW an open contest and brides can register at our booth on January 16th or contact us to register for a chance to win. Bonus, Brides who sign a contract with Party to Perfection and/or BriGeorgePhotography will be eligible for two chances to win the giveaway and brides who book with us both for their wedding will receive three entries into the giveaway! I will "save the date" for the bride for 30 days and within this time period I will meet with the bride to discuss her wedding details and dreams. One winner will be selected at random (details will follow later) and she will receive this incredible prize package!

"Dream Day" Giveaway

Rules:

• Bride must register her name, wedding date and contact information
• We will "Save the date" for the bride for 30 days. After those 30 days the intial deposit with A Party to Perfection and/or BriGeorge Photography will be due according to their individual contracts.
• Brides who sign with A Party to Perfection or BriGeorgePhotography will be entered twice into the giveaway or three times if you sign with both
• If the bride withdrawls her services from A Party to Perfection and/or BriGeorge Photography during the contest timeframe, her name will be withdrawn from the contest giveaway
• The wedding date must take place on or before October 1, 2011
• A winner will be drawn on March 16th, 2010 and the winner will be notified by March 20th, 2010
• If the winner is having their wedding outside of Northwest Arkansas or is having a destination wedding, travel and room accommodations for A Party to Perfection and/or BriGeorgePhotography are the responsibility of the winner
• It is at the participating vendors' discretion on whether or not they will participate in weddings outside of Northwest Arkansas
• A Party to Perfection and BriGeorgePhotography are not responsible for any fees associated with sales tax, change orders, delivery fees or cancellations and these are the responsibility of the winner
• Registered bride's contact information will be provided to the participating vendors for additional discounts, coupons and offers

Call today to schedule an appointment!
(479) 422-1697
Shannon@apartytoperfection.com

"Excellence doesn't require perfection, but I do!"