Red Letter Event Planning is excited to welcome our summer intern Ellen Havey.  Ellen is currently attending the University of Iowa studying Journalism & Mass Communication and Communication Studies.  Her experience as the Internal Events Chair for Chi Omega, Psi Beta Chapter and enthusiasm for all things wedding coupled with a fun personality make her a great fit for the Red Letter team.

We have a full summer planned for her as she will be writing blogs, marketing Red Letter, assisting at weddings and other events, meeting clients, organizing me and going to cool industry events. Read below to “get to know” Ellen:

What is your favorite color palette?

Light pink, gold/champagne, soft taupe, and ivory

Why do you like weddings?

I like weddings because they allow the bride and groom to celebrate their special day in their own unique way. I like how all weddings are different from size and location to colors and food. Weddings are the perfect way to express personality and taste. They are the best celebration!

What is your favorite TV show?

Anything on Bravo or the Food Network

Why do you love the Chicagoland area?

It’s where I’ve always grown up and I love the fact that I can go to the city for a day or night and come back to a quiet suburb. You get the best of both worlds! I also love being right on beautiful Lake Michigan.

Cubs, Sox or other?
Cubs!

Who is your celebrity crush?
Liam Hemsworth

Why do you love event planning?

I love the result. I love seeing people have a good time because of my effort and planning. I also love any type of party or social event and it makes it even better when I can contribute to it.

Share your thoughts on how you feel about your upcoming internship.

I couldn’t be more excited to have an event planning internship this summer. I have experience in planning my own events, but I am excited to gain more experience in planning other people’s events. I am also very excited to help with the marketing and social media aspect of the company!

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event is a Red Letter Day

As the temperature heats up, you may feel it is the right time to have a soiree on your deck or patio.  Instead of going with the full bar, consider serving two or three summer cocktails.  Here are two of my favorite via Pinterest, as you can see they are both easy and delish.

Tequila over lime sorbet-Instant Margarita-bonus if you rim the glasses with salt

Champagne mixed with fresh strawberry puree

We want to know what is your go to summer hosting cocktail and will you try one of these at your next party?

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event is a Red Letter Day

Sara Olsher is a mom, illustrator, and blogger located in San Francisco. By day, she is the marketing manager at JustGive, a nonprofit whose mission is to increase charitable giving.  I asked her to guest blog for Red Letter Event Planning on the I Do Foundation.  I am asked all the time by couples “what should I give as favors, or register for?” The I Do Foundation is an ideal solution.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to share a little about I Do Foundation, Robyn! ­­­We are very passionate about what we do, and will take any opportunity to tell brides and grooms about including charity in their weddings.

We at I Do Foundation believe that giving brings meaning to life—and we’re passionate about helping connect soon-to-be-wed couples with the charities and causes they care about most. After all, weddings are a joyous occasion, made even more so by sharing a little love with those who need it!

I Do helps engaged couples Celebrate Generously™ and make charity a part of their special day.  Launched on Valentine’s Day 2002, I Do has created and offers several unique, eco-chic and no-cost ways to give back through weddings:

Registries that make a difference

With a Charity Registry, couples can share the generosity of their guests with a favorite charitable cause. Guests make secure online donations through I Do as their wedding gifts to the couple, supporting their chosen nonprofit organizations.

With a Charitable Gift Registry, couples register for gifts through I Do’s partner stores or the Wedding Channel, and vendors donate up to 5 percent of gift purchases to their selected charities.

Charity for favors

Couples can honor guests and share the love by making a donation to a favorite charity for their wedding favors. This is a great way to support causes that hold a special place in the couple’s hearts.

Charity Gift Cards to thank the wedding party

The GiveNow charity gift card is a great “green” way to thank those who helped make the day special. The couple can choose the gift amount and add a personally-written message. Their recipient then redeems it for the charity of their choice, selecting from more than 1.8 million nonprofit organizations working throughout the world.

Benefit the local community

Through tips and ideas provided on I Do, couples can also discover more ways to share their commitment and love with charities in their community.

In the past nine years, through I Do Foundation and its partners, more than 44,000 couples have given over $6 million dollars to charity. That’s pretty remarkable! With more than 10 percent of all engaged couples visiting I Do each year to learn more about how they can give back, it’s clear that charitable giving is important to many engaged couples.  We are excited to be part of it, and hope you will consider joining us!

Thanks Sara for all of the great information on the I Do Foundation.

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event is a Red Letter Day

Last week the brand new Marriott Naperville, hosted our April Association of Bridal Consultants meeting, giving me the opportunity to be one of the first to experience this new gem in the Chicago suburbs.

When most couples and planners think Suburban hotels the words hip, trendy and contemporary do not come to mind but my fellow ABC planners and I agree the Marriott Naperville is all this and more.

As I entered I was pleased to see the light colored interior that still projected a warm and inviting feeling with chocolate brown and burnt orange accents. This hotel has public spaces that rival the hippest downtown nightclub, check out this booth in the bar area.

For events and weddings the hotel has a great layout, they have two main large ballrooms that are on opposite ends of the hotel.  Even though they can host more than one event it feels private because each ballroom has its own pre- function area.  The Naper Ballroom which is the smaller of the two ballrooms even has a wall of windows.

For those that know me, I am a chair snob, I don’t understand why venues can’t have nice looking, neutral chairs, however that is a rant for another day.  The Marriott Naperville has these as the standard chairs-simple enough to go with almost any décor.

They have a beautiful wall in the lounge area that would be such a cool backdrop for engagement or wedding photos.  Check it out!

The staff at the Marriott Naperville were such gracious hosts, we had a delicious dinner that was completed with mini wedding cakes made by their IN HOUSE pastry chef-So good!

Here are some of the specs for the property, give them a call at 630-505-4900 to check it out for your wedding or other event.

7000 Sq Ft Grand Ballroom

4000 Sq Ft. Naper Ballroom with floor to ceiling windows

Complimentary Parking

Concierge Level rooms

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event is a Red Letter Day

This week we explore my Things I Love from any Category board on Pinterest-  this board features random concepts, ideas, or just plain pretty that catches my fancy.

This neon color palette while recalling the 80’s is sophisticated and exudes energy.

So how best to use these bright, intense colors?

How about dressing up a tablescape, adding a piece of accent furniture or sporting a hot pink handbag with a black and white ensemble.

We want to know if you think this neon color palette is as Pintastic as I do. Repin and share!

Till Next Time I Hope your Next Special Event is a Red Letter Day

I recently pitched an idea to Robyn, owner of Red Letter Event Planning, about covering activities for guests to do during weddings. The thought was inspired by recently coming across my own “name that tune” wedding activity for our guests.

Mingling and letting loose at a party doesn’t always come naturally to everyone. Unless it is the guest(s) of honor doing the asking, I am the person who ducks in her seat and tries to avoid eye contact when the wildly enthusiastic dancer from the entertainment team looks around for people to pull on to the dance floor. I know I’m supposed to be a sport and play along but I’m just not comfortable with that. I like to participate and enjoy events in more subtle ways. When it came to our wedding, we hoped that all guests, gracious enough to attend our event, would feel comfortable and accommodated whether or not they cared to dance or be in the spotlight.

A “name that tune” activity fit because not only did we love the idea of incorporating a music theme in our wedding, something that was important to us, but we also liked the fact that it gave the guests something simple to do at their leisure and hopefully encouraged some conversation.  On a single sheet of paper, my intended and I came up with a line from a song with the word “love” in it. The list included well-known tunes (and a few less popular as a challenge) that spanned about 40 years to bridge the knowledge base. Titles and artists to each song were listed on the back. Copies were placed alongside hors d’oeuvres. We were delighted by the feedback we received by guests who enjoyed the fun challenge.

Robyn has seen many happy hosts and guests at a number of weddings thanks to some thoughtful, creative planning. For example, one couple decided that dessert time was the perfect time to encourage mingling among friends and family who did not know each other that well. Each table was set up with a centerpiece cake in a different flavor.  Guests were encouraged to try all of the different cakes while socializing with others at different tables. It was a huge success!

This idea works particularly well if you have a small guest list.  If your guest list is larger, consider having a dessert bar with interactive elements, such as a DIY s’mores bar.

Another couple, who had decided that the classic kiss-prompting glass clinking was not for them, had their DJ set up a small putting course where selected guests had to Putt for a Kiss.  The couple specifically chose guests they knew would enjoy the putting experience. The activity took place as dinner was being served, so it broke up the speeches in a fun, interactive way while providing entertainment to all who watched the best man try to sink the putt!  A great local entertainment company Something 2 Dance 2 has perfected this golfing fun!

Photo Courtesy of Something 2 Dance 2

These are just a few examples of incorporating personalized and interactive experiences for guests. Other ideas we’ve found on having distinctive activities for guests are:

Have each guest write a short memorable moment / favorite memory of the bride and/or groom to be assembled for a scrapbook

Hire professional ballroom dancers to entertain and provide mini dance lessons for those who’d like to participate

Rent a photo booth and supply props (hats, funny glasses, boas, etc.)

Hire a fortune teller or graphologist (handwriting analysis expert) to perform readings

Hold your own Dancing with the Stars contest, fun for those willing to dance and just as amusing for those wanting to watch!

We hope we’ve inspired you to consider unique and engaging guest activities for your next special occasion. We’d love to hear your suggestions or activities that you’ve really enjoyed as a guest.

Seeking other ideas? Red Letter would love to work with you on recommendations for your wedding!

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event is a Red Letter Day!

DIY, ,MOH, STD what do all of these mean?  When you started your wedding planning I bet you didn’t know you would have to learn a whole new vocabulary.  Here is a quick guide to wedding jargon.

DIY, this acronym is most popular among the wedding set. It stands for Do It Yourself, sentences it can be used in include: “I am a DIY Bride”, “I intend to DIY my flowers”, And my personal favorite, “DIY is not always easy or less expensive.”

MOH, she is your rock, your shoulder to cry on and your confidante, I am of course talking about your Maid or Matron of Honor.  And please tell your groom to pronounce it M-O-H not MOE.

STD, a Mother of the Bride (ooh another acronym MOB) once saw me mention this in an email and she was scandalized because I wrote, Megan’s STD is coming next week.  An STD is a Save the Date, usually sent out about a year or more before the wedding date. And really it SHOULD have a better acronym.

OOT-No, this isn’t the word “out” in a Canadian accent, it stands for Out of Town, can be modified using the nouns Guests, Gift Bags or Wedding.

FOG, MOG, MOB, FOB, as you saw above MOB refers to Mother of the Bride, the others refer to the rest of the parental units-Father of the Groom, Mother of the Groom and Father of the Bride. Note: Most parents do not like being referenced this way.

BM, FG, RB, GM, these are the others participants in the wedding party-the BM is interchangeable between Bridesmaid and Best Man, so be specific when referencing, the others refer to wee ones-Ring Bearer and Flower Girl.  The last one while also a brand of car means Groomsmen.

E-Session, Some couples decide to take pictures before the wedding in a fun, casual way, these are often referred to as engagement pictures, and the E-session is where this occurs.  This article about a groom and an engagement session is pretty funny.

Trash The Dress, this is not what the catty ladies at table 19 are saying about the brides dress. Instead it is a way to wear your dress one more time for fun pictures that may include, walking the lakefront, sitting on a L-train or other ways of “trashing” your dress and bonus you get really COOL pics for your album.

DOC, Ahh the DOC the one that will make all of your wedding stresses go away, and not by telling you to take two aspirin and call me in the morning.  A DOC or Day of Coordinator is a person hired to oversee your big day.  In reality there aren’t any true DOC’s no one would be able to handle your wedding coordination stepping in that day.  Instead your DOC is more aptly named a Wedding Day Manager (WDM). The WDM may work with you the last few months or weeks leading up to your wedding.  Every wedding should have a WDM so the bride, the groom, the MOB, FOB, MOG, FOG, MOH and BM etc can enjoy the wedding that day.

It’s your turn to share with us your favorite wedding vocabulary words, and your definition of them.

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event is a Red Letter Day (RLD)!

Impending nuptials have brides-to-be and those in her circle wondering about the latest bridal fashions. We’ve captured several of these key design trends and trend options below. Consider marking up your magazines or creating a pinterest board on the specific design elements that strike your fancy.

Do Hue Know
…that color gains momentum this year? Not just for bridesmaid dresses, color lets the bride show her personality and style in a way that is uniquely her. As alternative neutrals to traditional white and ivory, Vera Wang’s 2012 Fall collection showcases black and creamy beige. For the less traditional, how about Pantone 2012 color of the year, Tangerine Tango? Coral shades traditionally flatter most, regardless of skin tone.

How about a selection in the bride’s “signature color” that sets off those gorgeous peepers like no other? To create a cohesive look with the bridal party, consider bridesmaid dresses in two to three shades lighter or darker than the wedding gown. The Red Letter crystal ball says we will likely be seeing even more color from designers in the next couple of years.

Feeling Flirty
2012 loves ruffles! A little or a lot, ruffles add a bit of flirt and flair to the bride’s attire. We’re seeing just a dash of ruffles as sleeves and cascading ruffles Functional as well, ruffles in the right places can play up or disguise “this and that” to flatter any figure.

Got Great Gams?
It’s a fine time to show a little leg in styles that highlight a variety of asymmetrical hemlines and leg-bearing stitching. We’re seeing ball gowns that reveal just a peek from toe to knee and sheath silhouettes with thigh-high slits. What a great way to show off your spectacular wedding shoes!

Something Extra on Top
Cap sleeves and off-the-shoulder straps reign on the latest bridal fashion runways. Sleeve choices are so varied that there is something sure to fit every taste, be it a thin gathering of lace at the shoulder to quarter- and full-length arm coverage. Not a bad choice for a bride who wants to show off (or cover) her arms in the most flattering way.

OR

Take a Bow
We’re seeing bows of all shapes and sizes displayed in a variety of ways: the sweet charm of subtle little bows; large bows that serve as a one-shoulder strap; multiple bows in a cascade down the skirt, and colored tied ribbons around the waist that can create unity with the rest of the bridal party colors and accessories.

Lovely in Lace
A nod to generations past, designers are putting a new spin on traditional lace, making it fresh and timely. Do you treasure having an heirloom lace dress that isn’t quite your style? Pay homage to the sentiment and turn something old in to something new by taking a swatch of lace and adding it to cap sleeves, an illusion neckline, or a short cape. Like lace but not sure about it on the dress? Consider lace overlays on shoes or accessories, a modest way to add the look of lace’s refined elegance.

The Bottom Line

Of course there is no right or wrong decision in selecting the perfect gown. The emphasis should first and foremost be about a bride feeling her best on her special day. We all feel our best when our style and personality in our appearance shines through, so take the trends with a grain of salt. Have fun trying on the latest styles as well as the trends that may seem out of your comfort zone, even if it’s just for laughs. Come on, this is the time! When you see yourself reflected back in the mirror in a gown that seems to exemplify your essence, you’ll simply know you’ve found “the one”.

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event is a Red Letter Day!

A Mangagement Ring for the man who gets proposed to

Lore has it that the tradition of women asking for a man’s hand in marriage started in 5^th century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick that women had to wait too long for a man to propose marriage. As Feb. 29^th existed to fix a problem with the calendar and was considered to have no legal status, St. Patrick remedied the problem by giving all the single ladies permission to propose on that one day.

Documentation from the late 13^th century confirms the practice in Scotland when a law was allegedly passed that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice on a leap year day. Supposedly the law also included fines for refusal to marry, ranging from a kiss to a silk dress or pair of gloves. It sure makes me wonder how the fine was actually levied and the percentage of jilted who would have picked a kiss from a guy who said “no” over lovely formalwear.

While there are plenty of strict traditionalists who argue that a proposal is still a man’s role, comments and feedback from the general public about women doing the asking of their targeted-betrothed indicate that it is becoming more and more acceptable for her to take the reins. Here are a few success stories from PriceScope’s proposal discussion board by some question-popping ladies:

“We went ring shopping last week, and he thought it would be fun to be proposed to, and I agreed. (I hate surprises, he loves them)”

“…we proposed on the same day, me first, him later. Most of his friends are only aware that I proposed to him…and all gape over his ring just like what usually happens to the female part of the couple.”

“I proposed to my husband. And I’m proud of it! And it makes for a heck of a good story.”

“…he was willing to get me the ring I was interested in, if I proposed. I think for him, shopping for the ring together took some of the fun out of it, and being surprised would be great. “

Still need more convincing? Monica proposed to Chandler on Friends. Forget that they were fictional TV characters, they were besties in love who knew that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

Playing along with the age-old tradition, How To Propose To A Man In A Leap Year from Videojug provides a fun video parody of their practical advice of how to propose to a man, which is to:

• Sniff around about his feelings on marriage
• Consider being asked from his point of view
• Select the right spot
• Select an appropriate gift
• Pop the question
• Wait for an answer

So are you thinking of doing the asking?  We would love to hear if you proposed to your guy or if you are thinking about it. After all if you’re ready for marriage and feeling confident about where you both believe your relationship is headed, there is certainly no law that says you can’t.

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event (or Engagement) is a Red Letter Day

WALK CHICAGO’S GOLD COAST FOR YOUR WEDDING

First, fuel up for your day long shopping trip at Sprinkles cupcakes, check out their wedding cupcakes or treat yourself to your favorite flavor. Then head to Vera Wang , located at 945 Rush St. in Chicago. Just opened earlier this month it is the home of the classic and unique gowns that Vera Wang is known for.  The salon is large and very private, so that you can try on dresses comfortably and without the prying eyes of strangers. Appointments are necessary and can be made by calling 312-379-5355.

Spring 2012 Vera Wang Wedding Dress

The second stop is B H L D N (pronounced Beholden).  This store has two floors of wedding prettiness, you will find vintage style gowns, quirky headpieces, cool bow ties and even a whole room dedicated to less than ordinary decor. Prepare to spend at least 2 hours in this location looking over all of the items. B H L D N is located at 8 East Walton St., Chicago For dress appointments please call 312-573-2573.

Inside the B H L D N store

The third stop is the newly reopened Bella Bridesmaid. This store is dedicated to all things for the maids.  The airy salon has comfy couches and racks of colorful and wearable bridesmaid dresses. Bella is located at 1 East Delaware, Suite 200 Chicago, IL. For appointments call 312-943-0344.

You can Find Lula Kate dresses like these at Bella Bridesmaids

Here is a simple map to help you on your journey!

Walk the Gold Coast for your Wedding

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event is a Red Letter Day!