Guest Post by Megan Ely of Wedology 101

Today I’m happy to share this informative guest post by the talented Meghan Ely who is one half of the creative team behind Wedology 101 (more info. at the end of this post).  Based on years of experience in the wonderful world of weddings, Meghan  has truly excellent for brides and grooms who are in the whirlwind of planning their wedding… read on!

Wedding Planning and Pleasing your Family: the Great Balance

Wedding planning is, quite often, a balancing act. Before you know it, you’re ordering place cards, booking reception venues and assembling out of town gift bags. What many may not tell you, however, is that the greatest of all tasks is the inevitable balance of planning a fabulous soiree while keeping your family life intact.

When you strip away the tulle and fondant, weddings are stressful. Strife comes with the territory but if you follow these Wedology 101 sanctioned tips, you’re more likely to find yourself humming “Shiny Happy People Holding Hands:”

1)    If you want it, pay for it. While the tradition of the parents paying for the wedding day is still a common practice, I’ve found that many fights often start over brides wanting something and their parents not wanting to pay for it. Sure it’s your special day, but I’ve always contended that the person with the checkbook has the final say. So if you desperately want those chiavari chairs, then it’s time to ante up the Visa.

In a similar vein, if you are paying for your own wedding and are suddenly emailed a list of mom and dad’s extensive list of second cousins and work associates, it’s time to put your foot down, you are the host.

2)    Insist that everyone be an adult. I’ve taken many phone calls over the years from tearful brides lamenting that they’re divorced parents won’t sit together at the wedding. Their initial argument? “Well it’s my Big Day.” I tell them to head back into the fire, and try the “We’re all adults so let’s act like it” approach. It’s a much stronger, and honest, line of reasoning.

3)    Etiquette is your friend. Wedding Planning will put you in all sorts of predicaments- which names do I put on the invitation? Who is included in the wedding announcement? Who welcomes the guests? Instead of coming up with answers to appease everyone, dust off Emily Post’s Weddings and Crane’s Blue Book. Etiquette is in place for a reason so free yourself of these burdens and let the experts handle it.

4)    Keep the lines of communication open. Always.

Ultimately, your wedding day should be one of the happiest days of your life. Don’t let a few family squabbles get in the way of that. After all, stress and tulle simply do not go together.

So why Wedology 101?

Between the two of us, Jennifer McBride and I have successfully executed over 700 weddings. Wedology 101 is our opportunity to share our Do’s and Don’ts in a fun and informative way.

We’ve hand-selected our nearest and dearest wedding professionals to sit on our Panel of Experts to give you the bride, an opportunity to ask any and all questions. And we have swag.

So join us before the pressures of planning your wedding get the best of you on August 15, from 1-5pm, at Wyndham Virginia Crossings in Richmond.

Meghan Ely is one part of the Wedology 101 team, and owner of OFD Consulting, a niche Marketing/PR firm servicing the wedding industry, and the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association. She is a contributing writer for Virginia Bride magazine, and has been published in Premier Bride Richmond. She and Jennifer write a Wedology 101 column for the Richmond Times Dispatch’s Celebration section. She loves late harvest sauvignon blancs, letterpress anything and cakes shaped like Death Stars.

Big Congratulations to many of my brilliant colleagues who have a wedding featured today at Martha Stewart Weddings.com which, I know is a huge complement to all of the wonderful talent that went into this amazing wedding.  Be sure to go to the website to see the entire gallery of photos.

Congratulations to all of our local talent:

Jennifer Carroll Events

Jen Fariello Photography

Pat’s Floral Design

Have Food Will Travel

Skyline Tent Co.

Cakes of Art

Festive Fare

Elan On-Site Salon Services

Albemarle Vintage Limousine

DJ Stroud

DeVideo

Heather Belle Ink

Photobooth Scrapbook

Great work everyone and congratulations to Ginger & Greg too!

On Tuesday night about 100 local wedding professionals and a handful of brides officially “launched” the new Bridal Ring wedding community at a lovely gathering at the beautiful Glenmore Country Club. The Bridal Ring is the inspired idea of Jennifer Hamlin of Events with Panache and Elisa Bricker of Elisa B Photography who both saw a need in our community to provide support and guidance to brides & grooms as they navigate the often-daunting details of planning their big day. The Bridal Ring will be a forum for bringing brides, grooms and vendors together for their mutual benefit.

In addition to an informative website, The Bridal Ring is planning an ongoing menu of local events that will bring brides, grooms and vendors together. There are many upcoming events already on the calendar, each is planned for the last Tuesday of the month. Go here for details.
I know everyone wishes Jennifer and Elisa the greatest success with The Bridal Ring. Hopefully we’ll be posting about them regularly here on the Charlottesville Wedding Blog.

For part 2 of Jennifer’s best-of 2009 I am happy to share this beautiful wedding held in October at the incomparable Clifton.  Jennifer (Jennifer Carroll Events) created a subtle yet sparkling event for Kim and Ed with the finest details, textures and colors.  In my humble opinion it’s the subtle details that make an event truly unique and expressive and this wedding is a perfect example of Jennifer’s artistry.
The fabulous flowers are by Pat’s Floral Designs and also thanks to Sarah Cramer of Cramer Photo for capturing and sharing the day with us!

Contact information for Jennifer Carroll Events:
~ website: http://www.jennifercarrollevents.com
~ phone: 540-456-6550
~ e-mail: jyetman@jennifercarrollevents.com
~ blog: http://jennifercarrollevents.typepad.com

We’re getting to the end of our Best of 2009 series but I still have a few more great posts to share with you.  I was so happy that my friend and ultra-talented planner, Jennifer Carroll of Jennifer Carroll Events was able to get a few of her best-ofs to me before we were done.  Today I have 2 of her lovely Spring & Summer weddings to share (nice and warm!) You’ll have to admit that Jennifer’s papers are extraordinary and yes, she designs them her very own self… aren’t they lovely?  Not to mention the fantastic table settings and all the rest.  Thanks for sharing your talent with us, Jennifer!

First up from Jennifer:  Erin & Andy – Farmington Country Club – July 25, 2009… enjoy!

And here’s Susan & Thad’s wedding at Clifton on May 9, 2009.  I love the black & lime green color theme…

Contact information for Jennifer Carroll Events:
~ website: http://www.jennifercarrollevents.com
~ phone: 540-456-6550
~ e-mail: jyetman@jennifercarrollevents.com
~ blog: http://jennifercarrollevents.typepad.com

Barb Lundgren of Barb Wired Event Management sent along this nice selection of photos from a variety of her 2009 weddings. Barb is a talented and experienced event planner and I’m so grateful that she is sharing her work with us here on the blog… thanks Barb!

photo above by Dominique Attaway Photography

photo above by Elisa B Photographyphoto above by Elisa B Photographyphoto above by Elisa B Photographyphoto above by Jack Looney Photographyphoto above by Jack Looney Photographyphoto above by Jack Looney Photgraphyphoto above by Jack Looney Photographyphoto above by Jack Looney Photographyphoto above by Jack Looney Photography

Contact Info. for Barb Wired, LLC Event Management
~ website: www.barbwiredllc.com
~ e-mail: barb@barbwiredllc.com
~ phone: 434-531-3247

Jessica Sheffield of  The Event Company kindly sent me one of their lovely weddings from the year past.  Matthew & Jennifer’s October wedding at  Ash Lawn-Highland is really lovely and one pretty cool note- Jenn’s dress was designed just for her by her friend, Christian Siriano, past winner of Project Runway… how cool is that!?!?!

From Jessica:  “We had a great time working with Matt & Jenn on their Technicolor Autumn themed Fall wedding. Jenn has great style and had a distinct vision of what the day would look like and brought us on board to help bring that vision to life. The mix of historic Ash Lawn & the vibrant colors & style of the day was completely unique and a lot of fun! Incredible florals by Pat’s Floral Designs, lighting by The AV Company and one of our favorite bands, The Dickens, made for a great night despite the chilly temperatures! Our favorite detail- Jenn collected cobalt glass & blue willow saucers for at least a year leading up to the wedding. They were used as décor and cake plates during the event and then were packaged and given to guests as favors to remember the day.

Check at the bottom of the post for links to all the vendors Jessica mentioned.  … enjoy!

Contact Information for Jessica Sheffield at the Event Company:
~ website: www.theeventco.net
~ blog: http://theeventcompany.wordpress.com
~ phone: 434-974-6500
~ e-mail: jsheffield@theeventco.net

Other Vendors:
~ Photos- Jen Curtis
~ Flowers- Pats Floral Design
~ Catering- Hot Cakes
~ Cake- Cakes Unlimited
~ Lighting & Sound- The AV Company
~ Band: The Dickens

Earlier this summer I had the joy of performing Marisa and Adam’s wedding ceremony at the beautiful and historic University of Virginia Chapel. Fortunately, the talented Elizabeth Larson of Elizabeth Larson Photography was there to capture their joyful day and today I am happy to share a selection Elizabeth’s photos of the details of Marisa and Adam’s day.  If  you check back tomorrow I’ll share the rest… thanks, Elizabeth, for the beautiful pictures!

Contact Information for Elizabeth Larson Photography:
~ website: www.elarsonphoto.com
~ blog: http://elizabethlarsonphotography.blogspot.com
~ e-mail: elizabeth@elarsonphoto.com
~ phone: 434-242-1272 or 336-656-7733

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directory will make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning!

Our local news & arts weekly, the Cville has it’s July issue of Unions out on the stands today… so, be sure to get your copy! You’ll find lots of great info. for your Charlottesville area wedding plus stories and tips to make your planning a breeze… From making your wedding greener to great local resources for pretty paper and classy shoes and real love stories, the Cville Unions supplement has tons of fun and useful content… don’t miss it!

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directory will make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning!

Guest Post by Barb Lundgren

Today I’m happy to share a guest post from Barb Lundgren of Barb Wired, LLC, one of the Charlottesville Wedding Blog’s wonderful sponsors.  If you’re thinking of hiring a wedding coordinator be sure to read on!

Maureen and Geoff
April 18, 2009

At the beginning of the planning process, Geoff was opposed to hiring a wedding coordinator. He told his then-fiancée that they had plenty of time to plan, could do it themselves and, since he was a guy he admits, had a list of excuses.

Geoff wrote me to share his feelings after the wedding, and to make sure that others didn’t waste a lot of time contemplating this decision. Not only did they entrust me with their wedding planning and direction, we became the best of friends. This would be a first, and probably the only time, that I have had a groom recess the aisle saying to me “I love you Barb, I really do”, before he embraced his bride in the vestibule.

Maureen and Geoff were extremely decisive and organized from the beginning. However, this was a destination wedding with few familiar contacts in the area. There were many details to oversee, but they had chosen some of the best vendors around and I could see it was going to come together beautifully. The weather was picture perfect that day as we set the ceremony at the UVA Chapel. From the gorgeous vistas of King Family Vineyards; to the impeccable tastes and service of 20 South Catering; and the floral design of Amy Webb, the guests were more than impressed with the reception settings. What a treat when Cav Man arrived for a visit during cocktails!

The night got even better as one of our favorite wedding bands “The Dickens” played all of the favorites and everyone was on the dance floor. We sent the happy couple off with a “sparkling” tribute at the end of the evening.

There are many special couples in my life. Maureen and Geoff stay in touch whenever they come to Charlottesville and look forward to moving here some day. I look forward to that as well. And from Geoff — “It’s hard for me to say what I value more, the incredible job Barb did from start to finish – ensuring a flawlessly executed wedding from the rehearsal and dinner through the big day – or the fact that we found someone so incredibly special who we knew from the outset truly cared about not just what we wanted, but about us as people.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Looney Photography

Contact Info. for Barb Wired, LLC Event Management
~ website: www.barbwiredllc.com
~ e-mail: barb@barbwiredllc.com
~ phone: 434-531-3247

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directory will make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning!