The idea that guys don’t want to be involved in wedding planning is one of two things: Totally true or a complete cliche.

It all depends on the groom. If you’re one of those guys who’s willing to get involved with the wedding planning, here’s how to go about it:
- Tell her you care. If she doesn’t know wedding planning is something you’d like to be involved in, she probably won’t even consider asking for your opinion. At the beginning of the planning process, make it clear that you want input on certain things (or everything, as the case may be).

- Then show her you care. If you want to be involved with planning, you have to make sure you act like it. This means showing up on time to meetings, not grumbling when she drags you to yet another venue and browsing photographers’ online galleries with her. If you act like wedding planning is a hindrance, she’ll likely just cut you out of the planning process (and will probably get pretty mad at your before doing it.)

- Take charge or one or more aspects of the wedding. Quite often, the groom is in charge of the honeymoon, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be this. You can pick the DJ or the photographer — whatever is important to you. Perhaps you should take care of the transportation, as deciding between a limo, Rolls Royce or even a getaway motorcycle is fun and manly at the same time.

- Plan the things that directly affect the groom. This includes the groom and groomsmen’s attire, his wedding ring and the groomsmen gifts. After all, if you don’t care about what the bridesmaids wear and receive as gifts, why should she get too involved with what your guys wear?

- Plan it together. Ideally, you and your fiancee will just plan everything together. There’s no reason to split up the tasks unless you want to. Instead, why don’t you both browse wedding inspiration online and run everything past each other before making a decisions. When the wedding day actually arrives, you can truly call it “your day.”

Meet GroomsOnline in the Groom Room- a unique entertainment and browsing experience designed just for him! Only at the Arizona Bridal Affair, September 26th at the Chaparral Suites Scottsdale, register online at www.arizonabridalaffair.com for two free tickets.

Plant-able invitations are a great way to personalize your big day as well as a great way to leave your guest with something more than the details of your event. Seeded paper invitations are plant-able and a decent gardener should end up with some beautiful flowers after the wedding has come and gone. Most invitations I found came in two styles- fully assembled or the DIY variety.Even the vellum used to print on  is eco-friendly; in fact the only thing not eco-friendly is the stamp.

Curious? Here’s a couple of sites to get you started:

www.oftheearth.org

www.botanicalpaperworks.com

www.greenfieldpaper.com

The inviations in this picture came from Botanical Paperworks.

Looking for invations for your special event? Visit the Arizona Bridal Affair, September 26th 9am-3pm at the Chaparral Suites Scottsdale! Register online for free tickets at www.arizonabridalaffair.com

P.S. While you are at it, check out our ad too!

Visit the Arizona Bridal Affair on September 26, 2010 at the Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Register online for your free tickets at www.ArizonaBridalAffair.com

Your Dad’s probably been thinking about this moment since the day you were born, so make sure it’s as memorable for him as it is for you. Our top ten song picks for your Father Daughter dance.

1. “My Girl” (The Temptations)

A sweet crowd-pleaser for the fun-loving bride and her Dad.

2. “Walk With You” (Edwin McCain)

The latest hit from the much-beloved Edwin McCain is perfect for dads and daughters.

3. “Isn’t She Lovely” (Stevie Wonder)

A classic hit that expresses the sentiment every dad’s feeling on his girl’s wedding day.

4. “The Way You Look Tonight” (Frank Sinatra)

The traditionalist’s choice-How can you go wrong with Frank Sinatra?!

5. “How Sweet it is to be Loved by You” (James Taylor)

Unexpected, with an added bonus-it’s easy to dance to!

6. “I Will Always Love You” (Whitney Houston)

Bold, dramatic, and sure to be a showstopper!

7. “I Hope You Dance” (Lee Ann Womack)

A little bit country…a whole lot of perfect for a dad-daughter dance.

8. “Forever Young” (Rod Stewart)

A non-traditional choice, but hey, that’s never stopped you before!

9. “When You Say Nothing At All” (Alison Krauss)

Listen to the words…a total tear-jerker!

10. “When I’m 64″ (The Beatles)

Bring a bit of Beatlemania to the dance floor-a quirky, sweet option.
From GetMarried.com http://www.getmarried.com/articles/?id=701 Photo Credit: Arden Photography

So big thanks to Curtis Whipple, the man behind WEN. Thank you also to all the great professionals showcased this time, and super big thanks to Mi Catering for not asking me to refrain from serving up thirds, fourths and let’s be honest- I probably visited that food table ten times.

Who is BizeWorks? The Arizona Bridal Affair is produced by BizEWorks, and the mission of BEW is to connect local business and the community in the Phoenix metro area. Building great relationships and offering a true service to the community is not only important to us, it is vital. Without it we wouldn’t be in business.We truly value your business whether you are a bride, or a professional looking to showcase your services. Our single goal is to produce a successful event, where the couple leaves feeling informed and rejuvenated with ideas, and feels like they have had FUN; and likewise we want the vendor to feel appreciated and supported by us  providing an event where they can really connect with the couple and create a relationship themselves.

The Arizona Bridal Affair is now in its 4th year and in those four years we have had the pleasure of working with some really great vendors, and this year with their help we plan to make the show better than ever! We are so happy to once again be working with the Tarr family of Fresh Look Images, who will be offering FREE engagement portraits at the event, Arizona Nights will be back this time in our “Groom Room”, a space just for the guys, as will Viajes To Go Vacations, Salerno’s Catering and AZ Photo Fun. Jennyvi Dizon Couture will be back for the third year, this time holding a sample gown sale where brides can score a couture wedding gown for 50% off, or work one on one with Jennyvi and have her design your gown also at a discount. Jennyvi will also be producing the fashion show, which will have a fun, high fashion, fast paced feel. We are excited to also be working with  Stephanie and Juan Sandoval of AZ Celebrity DJ and Let’s Pose Photo Booths.We have also made some new relationships that will help to bring even more to the married couple by offering the Groom Room which is sponsored by  the expert in all things wedding- Mark Walerstein with GroomsOnline.

So mark your calendars for the Arizona Bridal Affair, Sunday September 26th from 9am to 3pm at the Chaparral Suites Scottsdale, and see how hard we have worked to bring you a truly amazing event! Register online for two free tickets at www.arizonabridalaffair.com

The Do’s and Do Not’s of working successfully with your Wedding Vendors
by Mrs. Hancock, President/Founder, Mrs. Hancock’s, Inc.

Many of us forget the genuinely appreciated niceties that show our genuine level of caring for others. All successful relationships, love or otherwise begin with kindness and respect. So let’s take this to the next step…

As a Bride and Groom we know you have a lot on your plates. Please realize, your vendors do, as well. All wedding vendors want to do the very best job we can for you; it’s what we do and what we do depends on making you happy. If you’re not happy, any referrals you may have been willing to send will not come our way. As our time is very valuable, it may take us 40 minutes to get to you one-way, or it may be that our calendar is booked for a particular afternoon and when you cancel or reschedule at the last minute and this in some cases, can cause us great professional harm.

Here are a few suggestions that will let your vendors know that you respect their time and their expertise. Keeping these in mind will surely go a long way in cementing your relationship and will ensure you come across as kind and considerate, as well:

1). Always keep scheduled appointments. Emergencies are just that and one may pop up on either side. When you schedule an appointment be diligent about writing it down in your calendar, please. If your spouse-to-be needs to be in your meeting, put it on his calendar, too. Send a text to him the morning reminding him where he needs to be and at what time.

2). Please always return phone calls promptly from your vendors (same day if possible). Our policy at Mrs. Hancock’s is from 6am to 12 midnight (unless it’s an emergency!).

3). When requested to provide information please be thorough and organized.

Follow up:

4). Always be on time for meetings! Punctuality is a sure sign of respect and good will.

5). Graciously accept you vendor’s input and suggestions. You’re always the final decision maker; but vendor’s are trained to think outside the box, hopefully saving you time and money. No talented planner or coordinator will ever push their will on you.

6). Please budget for your down payments, due dates and final payments accordingly and pay on time. Post dated checks will allow you to do this, without having to mail or drop off a check to ensure it arrives when due.

7). Communicate openly and honestly with your Vendors. Things will always come up or change; but we can’t assist you if we don’t truly understand your needs and/or concerns.

8). Further, please don’t use the ‘I’ll call you on Tuesday or I’ll bring your deposit next week”. If you’re not interested in working with a vendor, that’s fine; we can take it. Not everyone will be a great fit and that’s what meetings and interviews are for! Please don’t string a possible vendor along.

9). Have a question? Ask, please! No question or issue is too small or too mundane for a professional coordinator. It is our job to inform and educate you.

10). At a meeting consider paying for your Vendor’s coffee!

Using these simple tactics will keep your relationships running smoothly with all your vendors and you’ll find, treating them with respect and kindness will go a long way to ensuring the planning process is as much fun as it can be.

Now, I was extremely lucky enough to have a very talented sister who just so happened to have graduated from the culinary academy in San Francisco in the specialized field of pastry before I was planning my wedding.  Of course, I wouldn’t think of having anyone else create my wedding cake because no one knew my style better.  She made exactly what I wanted without me even really knowing what I wanted.  She created a beautiful wedding cake which was simple, elegant, and delicious.  A Genoise cake (Italian sponge cake) with lemon curd and cream cheese filling, covered with light and perfectly sweetened buttercream frosting.  Atop each of the three tiers was a disc of marzipan that had been flavored with lemon oil; it gave a beautiful contrast of color, added another layer of flavor, and just made it perfectly delectable.  Decorated with delicate scrolls, candy pearls, and iridescent powder, our wedding cake was simply lovely. 

Okay, so unless you have an amazingly talented sister, you’ll probably have to put forth more effort into finding your perfect cake than I did.  That’s not a difficult task when you explore your own neighborhood and find some wonderful local treasures right in your own backyard.  Take Sugarlips Cakery for instance.  Sugarlips Cakery is a custom cakery specializing in all-occasion cake design.  We have worked with Melodie now for three years as Sugarlips has joined us at the East Valley Bridal Affair since our get go in 2007 and is always a pleasure to work with.  Check out some of the pictures I pulled from their blog below.

Extra Extra!  My twin nephews turn one!!

Yep, this cake was for my twin nephews’ first birthday, and they are certainly two of the sweetest little cupcakes around. Happy first birthday to Indy and Jase! Hopefully I will be able to post a picture of them next blog with their SMASHER cakes.

Every “1st birthday” cake ordered from Sugarlips comes with a free 4″ “SMASHER” cake, which coordinates with your main cake, and fits easily on your little one’s high chair tray. Perfect for that once-in-a-lifetime photo op, and none of your guests have to eat the slice with baby’s handprint squished into it!

And yes, if you have twins, you may have two free smashers, triplets three, and so on!

This offer is good for baby’s first birthday only!

(We operate on the honor system here!!)

I Do! Me Too!

Victoria’s wedding cake was perfect for a small intimate reception; she chose a “Vows” style cake for the top tier, and a quilted pattern for the bottom tier. Squares set askew in ivory fondant, with fresh flowers. Very pretty! 

COOOO LA-LA!

Yes, I did say coo… this was a Parisian themed baby shower cake in ivory and black. We based this one largely off a Cake Boss cake that one of our lovely customers submitted. Too cute, and a refreshing change from booties and blocks, of course!

Come meet the gang from Sugarlips Cakery and other local artisans at the 3rd annual East Valley Bridal Affair on October 4, 2009 and the Windemere Conference Center in Mesa.  Other pastry designers on hand to inspire you are Robert’s Catering, Word of Mouth Cookie Co., Vali’s Custom Cakes, and  Designer Cakes by April.  You can even win a private chartered hot air balloon ride for two from Aerogelic Ballooning by registering online or show your enthusiasm for fun by entering the first annual Bridaloke Challenge to win a $500 gift certificate toward DJ services with Starz Entertainment or a 3 day/2 resort stay!

Phoenix’s Original East Valley Bridal Showcase

Local Brides.  Local Experts.  Experience the possibilities.

Come together with industry experts who will inspire you to create a day to always remember.

Free admission, prize giveaways, fashion shows, and entertainment.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

The groom initials are hidden in the pattern, and the groom is supposed to find them on the wedding night or he has to give a gift to the bride.

Soumya’s Henna was quite elaborate and took over five hours to complete. The designs go almost to the elbow. The bride cannot move much or do any work while the henna is being applied.

The feet are also done, though not as elaborate as the hands.

After the bride, each of the bridesmaids received Henna designs on their hands and arms. While the brides took hours, each of these designs was done in 20 minutes or less.

Later that night all the ladies gathered for a traditional Sangeet, a party with lots of Indian dancing, singing, and lots of delicious Indian foods!

The bride and her mother at the Sangeet.

All the ladies wore traditional Indian sarees. They are so colorful – I love to photograph them! 

You can come meet Michael in person at the 3rd annual East Valley Bridal Affair on October 4, 2009 at the Windemere Conference Center, in Mesa, Arizona.  Join us to gather some inspiration for creating your perfect day.  Other photographers on hand at the event:  Drew Brashler Photography, Easel Photography, Endless Moments Photography, Tiramisu Studios, Roe Photographic, and Memories by Marsha.

Phoenix’s Original East Valley Bridal Showcase

Local Brides.  Local Experts.  Experience the possibilities.

Come together with industry experts who will inspire you to create a day to always remember.

Free admission, prize giveaways, fashion shows, and entertainment.