It's the last day of 2009; I can't believe how fast this one flew by. Whatever your plans are to ring in the new year, here are some tidbits and ideas of things to do:
If you're a newly engaged bride, don't miss the Big Show this weekend, Jan. 2nd &
3rd. A Bridal Extravaganza is chock full of amazing vendors, great food, and some newly added stylish touches that haven't been there in years past. The show starts at 10:00a on Saturday and 11:00a on Sunday. And don't hesitate to bring your groom either- he'll feel like he's in Costco with all the snacks he'll try, and the Fox Sports Room normally seals the deal. And while you're there, you'll want to stop by the Soiree booth (don't worry- you won't miss it. We're the pink booth, naturally). Not only do we have some amazing things to reveal, but a giveaway as well. We'll see you there!
The Idaho Botanical Gardens Winter Garden Aglow is still in full swing, even tonight. Tickets are only 6.00 per person. If anything, try going tomorrow night to really ring in the first day of 2010 in beautiful style.
If you're a groom (or you'd like to give your groom a great idea) and want to dazzle your bride, how about setting up a helicopter tour of all the Christmas lights in Boise. Silverhawk Aviation Academy hosts these awesome tours, starting at
$125/couple. What better way to spend a romantic evening.
If you're looking more for a party scene, several locations downtown are hosting New Years Eve bashes; as are many local radio stations. Check here, here and here for ideas and ticket information.
Have fun and be safe. We're looking forward to all the great things to come in 2010, and we hope you are too. We'll see you next year.
Brandi
A Boise New Years Eve
Real Wedding: Meet Cissy + Phil
The Details:
Photography- Cristi Dame Photography
Bride's Dress- Maggie Sottero
Flowers- Green Cymbidium orchids, by The Twisted Tulip, McCall Idaho
Umbrellas- Bella Umbrella, Seattle
Decor, Linens- Cloth Connection linens via Soiree, Stationery materials by Soiree
The Love Story:
When Cissy contacted me back in March for her September wedding weekend, we spent the first few days playing phone tag. Once we finally got a hold of each other, we discussed the possibilities of a sage green and dark red wedding. Not going for a Christmas theme, but rather trying to put just a bit of Phil's Asian heritage into the wedding without actually making the wedding Asian-themed. Fast forward about 5 months, and their McCall wedding day arrived- except the only red in sight was the favors. During those months we'd settled on a better plan: Cissy loved the look of pinks and greens together, so we went with that color combo instead. To bring in the little bit of Asian we added accents such as orchids & calla lillies (the national flower of Taiwan) and a custom tea bar- guests could choose from three types of freshly brewed teas, including a lovely Bridal White Tea. And with the wine-stopper favors imprinted with the Chinese symbol for happiness, we had a perfect blend of fun, contemporary, and a tiny bit of Asian to boot.
Their wedding weekend was perfect (only a tiny bit of rain that eventually passed), but Cissy and Phil weren't done: they were soon off to their ceremony in Taiwan for Phil's family that couldn't make it to the States. Congratulations guys!
~Happy Planning!
Being The Best You In 2010
I'll be honest- I'm so sick of the dreary news and the worn out "in this economy" line. I haven't watched the news in weeks because I want to start my day with a positive outlook. The past year or so has been rough on many people and on many industries though, so I've appreciated some blog posts written lately by people that have had a powerful effect on my life personally. I hope the following posts, ranging from being the best you in work to being successful as a whole, to just being content with being (for now), will inspire you as we round the corner to 2010. One idea is definitely in common: a positive outlook does wonders. For me, I know the 2010 season will be epic. The best is yet to come.
Enjoy!
Last Minute Holidays
Let's face it, not every year can we be on time with everything and have everything in perfect order. Confession: I have not sent out my holiday cards yet. Nope, in fact, I haven't even taken my child's picture for the card yet. Let's call it fashionably late this year.
If you're having a late year too, or even if you're just scoping out your decor options for next year (that would be classified as fashionably early!), here are a few things to get your wheels turning.
Last Minute Decor:
I love this cardboard wreath from Cardboard Safari. Pop the pieces out and voila, you've got a 3D masterpiece. The pieces are also paintable.
And if you're still spicing up your tree, try different colors and textures than the usual green, red, and gold:
Don't you love their take on the Christmas skirt? And PS- the ornaments include a mixture of dried fruit, like oranges. 
Last Minute Greetings:
Designer friend Kristin has a great post on her blog dedicated to greeting cards.
What other 'Last Minute' things are you tending to? Cooking for that holiday party? Gifts? Do tell!
{photo}
Photos 1-5 all via Young House Love
Tying The Perfect...Anything
I ran across some of these tutorials on You Tube- with a few weekends left of holiday parties and last minute gift wrapping, these will come in handy. Once you're done you can tie your guy's tie so he has no excuse to dress up, and your gifts will be fabulous.
And to make your gifts shine:
Happy planning!
Be Inspired By The Soiree Blog
If you're new to our blog, we hope you'll find all sorts of inspiring ideas. We also hope to make sure you're a savvy bride with tips on everything from keeping your budget to making sure you hire the right vendors for you.
Be sure to check out our Real Weddings features, read all of our weekly wedding & party planning tips, and gather ideas for your personalized wedding.
We hope you'll stick around for more inspiration, wedding & party tips, and a whole lot more to come in the new year.
Happy planning!
Keeping It All In Perspective
As the year comes to a close, another season coming to an end, I thought it would be fitting to list some of the things that don't matter as much; The details that don't define you as a bride, hostess, and most of all a person.
* Budget. Don't let the bottom line dictate how you feel about the outcome of your wedding, and definitely don't let it determine how you feel about yourself or your planning skills.
* Weight. Do not spend your entire engagement worrying about the size you feel you need to be on your wedding day. And most definitely do not buy a dress a size or two smaller because you feel it's the size you should have.
* Family Dynamics. Weddings are sometimes a little like winning the lottery: people may start coming out of the woodwork and issues you'd hoped were tucked away are suddenly out in the open. It can be a stressful and emotional time for everyone- from a mother watching her baby get married or a divided family coming together on common ground, to making decisions and just being on overload with everything that's going on. Pick your battles wisely, and be okay with letting the rest just fall into place.
* Your Best Friend's Party. This goes along with the budget issue a little bit, but don't worry about what your friend did for their wedding. This is your party, your celebration. If all you worry about is infusing your ceremony and reception with your personality and style, then you're already guaranteed to have a fabulous occasion your guests won't forget. Why? Because you'll have showcased you and your relationship, and you'll have told your personal love story. And no one can top that!
Keeping the big picture in perspective and the end result (you marrying the love of your life) in view will have you sleeping better at night and will make your planning process much less stressful.
~ Happy Planning!
A Modern Giveaway At Inspired Designer
In celebration of Christmas and the fact that giveaways are great, today's tip will be rescheduled for Thursday. Besides, I thought maybe you'd want to hear about this one:
My good friend Kristin, aka the Inspired Designer is hosting a giveaway featuring All Modern, an online boutique for all things contemporary. Up for grabs is the eclectic and cute collection of throw pillows from Thomas Paul- all you have to do is browse the colors and styles online, take a look around the store, and comment back on Kristin's blog. Contest ends Friday at 5:00p with the winner being announced on Monday.Read the full details here.
Thanks to Kristin for the great giveaway, and good luck!
A Holiday Inspired Party
I love a good holiday party, and I especially love a holiday wedding that doesn't have to scream Christmas to make a statement. We recently ran across the talented Erin Swift (via the inspiring Junebug Weddings Blog), a stylist and interior designer. Her photo styling, from still life to fashion, is gorgeous. Her website showcases so many ideas and creations, but we picked out some of our favorite holiday designs:
We love the Christmas party feel, with the more traditional reds and deep color tones, but with the twist of the modern black and white.
And how about this one for an icy, modern wonderland:
And, drum roll please..... our number one pick for a super swanky Christmas fete:
Love it!! What kinds of things are you doing to make your party, wedding, or even just home decor one of a kind?
Happy Holidays, and Happy Planning!
{All photos via erinswift.com }
A Sneek Peak Into the Zweddings Bridal Magazine
Well it's finally here- we are elbow deep in production week for our December issue of the magazine. Over the past few months we've researched, scaled inspiration materials, interviewed, and combed Boise to bring what I feel will be the best issue Zweddings has had yet. The bridal magazine is set to print next week- so in celebration of what will be, I wanted to give you a peek of what you can expect (so you'll be even more excited to run out and find a copy, naturally!):
* Our Cover Girl Model Contest winner is revealed, along with the 3 other finalists. The spread is amazing and busting at the seams with photos from each of their weddings. Read their love stories and find out how they came to be finalists.
* More planning advice, tips, and content than ever before. Much like this blog, the ladies over at Zweddings allowed us to put a lot more planning resources and expert advice in this issue.
* More inspiration photos. Probably the biggest difference you'll see between this issue and past issues is the amount of inspirational photos. Along with our real weddings spread, see pictures of venues (driving all over town looking for venues is for the birds), and since this dubbed our floral issue, check out our super modern bouquet and boutonniere style shoot. So many florists helped us make this a reality, by pooling their creative resources and producing fantastic lovelies for our shoot. Here are just a few examples to raise the excitement:
See more of this styling shoot and the rest of the bridal goodness out on stands next week! Be sure to get your copy and then post here what you thought.
~Happy Planning!
{Bouquets- All photos by Soiree}
#1: Courtesy of Kabloom
#2: Courtesy of Blossom Boutique
#3: Courtesty of Southside Floral
Things We Love: Baker's Twine, Maps, and Retro Poppies
A roundup of super cute, uber swanky, and tres chic items we've found. Use them for your DIY projects, eye candy for your wedding, or just to have, because you are the IT girl, after all. 
We love cheery flowers, especially poppies. Poppy Chic Designs has all sorts of colors and styles of poppies for hair, toes, and even corsage varieties. 
We've long been a fan of Laura Hooper's genius calligraphy products, with her maps being our number one favorite. Include one of these unique, quirky, yet elegant maps with your invitation and let your guests enjoy getting to where they're going. Laura also offers custom seating charts and diagrams, event calligraphy, and more, including her newest custom calligraphy stamps.(also available at Zazzle.)
Who will be the first bride to create a Boise map??
Baker's Twine is the neatest little unknown project-enhancer. If you haven't come to grips with fancy bow-tying or are just in the market for a new way to present your gifts or favors, try using this twine. Since it comes in so many colors, you can dress it up, dress it down, and everything in between. Pretty cute, don't you think?
{Sources}
Olive Martini Poppy: $6.75
Cherry Luxe Poppy: $10.50
Poppy Toes Shoe Clips: $16.00
All via Poppy Chic Designs
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Seattle Map, courtesy of Laura Hooper Calligraphy
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Bakers twine: photos via Elizabeth Anne Designs
All In The Details
I'm a self-proclaimed detail-obsessed individual. It's not uncommon for me to spend way too much time on the internet or in a store comparing items like ribbon or snapping pictures down the store aisle to compare later. I can't help it- I think it's the littlest details that just make a party and bring the feeling.
The past few weeks we've been getting ready for the bridal show, and with that comes sorting through our portfolio again for pictures we want to use. I came across some of my favorite detail shots, and wanted to share some with you. 
Marking the Bride and Groom's chairs makes a pretty photo opp.
Can't forget about Bear. We love that he came dressed for the occasion too.
We loved how this 'M' made reappearances throughout the wedding. 
And that wedding happens to be one of my good friends Kristin, who also has her own sweet blog, Inspired Designer. 
Who says your kids table can't be fancy and dressed up too? Still fitting for the party, but lots of fun for the kiddies with crayons, toys, and yummy frosted monogram cookies. 
And since this was an Irish wedding, we sent the ring bearer down with a Celtic knot instead of the traditional pillow.
Details can be tiny or big- just make sure your wedding or party has lots of them!
Happy Planning!
{Photos}
Photos 1-2, Tana Photography
Photos 2-3, Soiree
Photos 3-4, Cristi Dame Photography
The Modern Receiving Line
Receiving lines used to be the mainstay- you know, the awkward, time consuming line we've all been made to stand in to greet and well wish about 15 people we didn't know. Thankfully, the tradition has gone to the wayside a little, and couples are getting a little more creative with how they greet their guests. The fact is, even if you only have 80-100 people attending your ceremony or reception (a relatively small wedding, comparably), you'd still have to allot anywhere from 30 seconds to one minute per person. Just imagine if you have the 'average' guest list, which is anywhere from 150-200 people. Yikes.
The few times I have seen a receiving line make it into the timeline normally stems from one or two factors: 1) There is a family member insisting on the tradition or 2) There is a family member insisting on the tradition and only the bride and groom are greeting the line. While I'd still like to see the whole thing quietly make a permanent exit, the latter of the two is better than the former. If you're open to modernizing the idea (making sure you greet all of your guests at your wedding), here are some great ways that still ensure you say hi to everyone. Oh, and your guests will thank you. I affectionately call this 'receiving line' theVisit During Dinner Mingle: Here's how it works: Since you're the bride and groom, we make sure you two eat first, whether that means we'll be sending a bridal platter out so you can avoid the buffet line or that you'll receive your first two courses at the same time to make sure you are essentially done first. This will give you time to go table to table and say hi, while your guests are seated. We add the mingling to your timeline and allot anywhere from 30 minutes to 45 minutes to allow you to do this. This is my favorite way, and although we can't promise you we won't tap you on the shoulder every now and then when one table gabs for too long, it does make for a much more relaxed situation.
Other ideas might include leaving a personal (handwritten) note at each place setting thanking your guests, or even just making sure you're part of the cocktail hour to be around your guests. I still always recommend the visit during dinner, since this seems to be the best way for couples to actually talk to every single person attending their wedding.
Did you come up with any other ideas that worked well to fit your mingle in? Do tell!
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