Tips for a Valentine's Day Proposal

Valentine's Day is one of the most popular days of the year to propose. It's a day that's already romantic, and that you know you'll be spending together. If you're planning a Valentine's Day proposal, check out these ideas for making the moment special and memorable.

Proposing in Front of a Crowd:
Many couples go to the theater on Valentine's Day. If you're reasonably sure your sweetie is going to say yes, call the theater in advance to see if you can propose on stage. Look for a play or musical that has a weddings or love theme. The stage manager should be able to assist you in planning something theatrical and memorable. Don't forget to buy tickets early as Valentine's Day is a popular evening. A variant on this is to buy an ad at your movie theater that will show before the previews begin. Prices change according to area. You'll need to ensure that you get there plenty early!

Say it with Candy
Buy your sweetheart a heartshape box of chocolates and replace one with the engagement ring. She (or he!) may be surprised that you've gotten her such an inexpensive gift, but if you can get her to open it, the surprise will be on her! Another idea is to buy a bag of conversation hearts and find one that says "Marry Me". Casually share the bag of candy with her, having the special one hidden in your pocket. When she's not paying attention, slip it out and say "here, this one is perfect for you", then quickly follow it with the ring on one knee.

Recreating a First Date or Special Moment:
Tell your valentine not to make any plans for February 14th, then make all the arrangements to recreate your first date (or another very special date – perhaps the one when you told each other "I love you" for the first time.) Make reservations for the same restaurant, get a tape for the car of the song that was playing on the radio, or make a picnic of the foods and wines you had that day. Don't forget to wear a similar outfit! In your own words, say that you've recreated the moment because it was the moment you met the person you're going to marry (or knew that you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together), then get down on one knee and pop the question!

On a Walk/Drive/Sail:Take some time to find the most romantic spot near you, then lead your Valentine there in a leisurely way, talking about why you are in love and why your relationship is so special. When you've arrived at the right spot, take a moment to drink in the scenery, then say something like "I wanted to bring you to a spot almost as beautiful as you are to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me. Will you marry me?"

At a Restaurant:
According to a wine merchants survey, restaurants are the second most popular place for proposals (at home is the first!). It makes sense that restaurants are so popular, as you'll have a host of people to help you make things perfect. If a restaurant is in your plans, start off by selecting someplace truly special – perhaps a usual favorite of yours, or one with magical ambiance. Secure those reservations early and while you're doing so, ask to speak to someone about proposing that evening. They'll be experts on the nicest and easiest way to do it at their particular location – whether it's writing Marry Me on the dessert plate rim, or going for a walk nearby to propose before returning for champagne and dessert. Just don't hide the ring in food - you wouldn't want it to be swallowed!

Planning a Wedding? MEET THE EXPERTS

2012 US POSTAGE STAMP INCREASE – How It Affects You & Suggestions to Ensure the Safe Delivery of Your Wedding or Event Invitations.

Congratulations! Your invitations have been ordered! The time and effort you spent in looking over the different types of cards, designs, envelops, fonts, linings, has finally paid off and now you are ready to address them and send them out.

TIP: As part of your budget planning you should take a sample invitation, fully packed, to the post office to get it weighed and figure out what the cost will be for mailing the invitations. Also include the cost for providing the return postage.
Here is where you need to think twice!!

Postage rates are set to increase and take effect on January 22, 2012!

If you have already ordered customized stamps, we have not found any notice on the popular custom stamp websites alerting their visitors & customers that postage rates are increasing in January 2012!! In other words, any custom stamps ordered before the rate increase and mailed after it may not longer be of sufficient value for the envelope’s weight. During the last increase a few years ago, one of my friend’s daughter had all her individually hand printed envelopes containing the invitation packets, returned for insufficient postage. Her custom stamps reflected the old rates and each envelope needed additional postage.
What you can do to save money and make sure that the invitations get sent out properly..

SUGGESTIONS & TIPS
***Send out your invitations BEFORE the increase to avoid additional costs and not have to add regular US stamps alongside your custom stamps.
***If you have not ordered your custom stamps yet – wait or find out if the company can make the stamps valid for the upcoming rate increase.
***In the interim stock up on FOREVER stamps, which you can use for the return envelop postage. A forever stamp is a postage stamp in the United States that is valid for First-Class postage no matter when it is used. By concept, once purchased, a forever stamp is a perpetual stamp that never expires or declines in value. Its value is the First-Class Mail stamp postage rate for a one ounce letter at the time of use. On line you’ll find some great FOREVER stamps to choose from. There are a couple of versions of the ‘Celebrate’ stamp (great for parties and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs). For weddings and anniversary celebrations, we recommend Wedding Bands, Wedding Roses or Garden of Love stamps.

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As of January 22, 2012, the new rates are as follow
Postcard			$0.32
1st class up to 1 oz			$0.45
1st class up to 2 oz			$0.65
1st class up to 3 oz			$0.85
1st class up to 3.5 oz			$1.05
Non machineable surcharge (Square / unusual shapes)			$0.20
Priority Mail – flat rate			$4.95

Newly Engaged? This one's for you!

The Holidays have been great, he popped the question, the ring was amazing.... Now it hits you, It's time to start planning our wedding.

Wedding planning may seem like a very overwhelming task to embark upon when you first start to think about it. So what you need to do is to break it down into smaller more manageable parts. Give yourself a realistic timeline to plan your wedding. Unless you have a particular date in mind that you absolutely want to meet, then feel free to enjoy your engagement for a while and discuss with your partner what would work best as far as setting a date.

Once you've set your date you can work your way back in the calendar to see what you need to do and when you need to do it. However, if you haven't yet set a date a lot of couples give themselves a year to plan a wedding, but really you will find all kinds of time frames for different couples, it depends on what you feel comfortable with. Some couples plan and organize their wedding in a matter of weeks or a couple of months while some others can take more than 18 months. The length of the wedding planning depends on your time availability and also what kind of wedding you want. You can make it as complicated and intricate as you want to, so the same thing goes for simplicity.

 

Talk amongst yourself (the bride and the groom to be) about what kind of wedding you want; a traditional wedding, formal, informal, focus on fun and colors, winter wedding or a beach wedding, big vs. a small wedding - there are a lot of different factors to take into consideration and don't take for granted that you both want the same type of wedding. So discuss this for a while until you've reached an agreement as to what your 'vision' of the wedding is.
To have a vision of your wedding does not mean that you now should have an understanding of all the details and exactly how things should look and work out. All it means is that you have a framework that you both agree on and that you can go back to when you need to make decisions further down the line.

When you are ready to start attacking and looking at the details of the parts of wedding planning you'll most likely need to start by doing some research. The main reason to do this is so that you can include what you want to include and to exclude what you don't want for your wedding. But you want to find out about these things sooner rather than later so that you don't catch yourself with having forgotten a very important detail for the day of the wedding such as confirming your caterers etc.
Depending on what way of research you prefer you can either talk to people that have gotten married themselves, but remember that these people would have also designed their wedding according to what they wanted, not what you may necessarily want.

Hiring a professional wedding coordinator, only if its part time or one to consult with when you are stuck or need advice.

Not long ago, a wedding coordinator was thought of as a luxury, only used by the wealthy. Now a coordinator is essential to the well planned affair. It is no longer "trendy" to engage a coordinator. Being experienced in negotiating contracts with caterers, florists, photographers, and other suppliers, the coordinator saves valuable time and money. The coordinator can take advantage of discounts not available to private parties and avoid costly mistakes, while turning your dreams into reality.

The average wedding can take more than two hundred fifty hours just to plan. With today's hectic lifestyles, you may not have time to compare all the options, making sure you get the best deal, and make sure all the details are in place.

Wedding coordinators are not here to make decisions for you, but to guide and assist you in making informed decisions. Their training, knowledge, and experience will turn your dreams and expectations into reality. They want you to host a beautiful and distinctive  event which you can enjoy.

A wedding coordinator will save you time and enable you to get the most for your money! A wedding coordinator can serve in many other capacities. They can act as the family counselor for apprehensive brides and the mothers, a wedding coordinator can become as close as your best friend.

Modern Bouquet

As I watched the newest wedding show on WeTV last Sunday, Diann Valentine of "I Do Over" gave the bride a bouquet made of brooches, some old and some new.  I LOVED it!!!

So, I went to the many antique shops in the area and rounded up what I thought would make a beautiful bouquet...

What do you think?  

Let's Remember...

BEAUTIFUL BUDGET BOUQUET FOR A BEACH WEDDING!





My Intern, the brilliant Ashley Chambers, made the most gorgeous bridal bouquet for a beach bride! She collected sea shells, bought colored tulle and pearls, some craft wire and a glue gun with a needle and thread.  After a few hours this wonderful creation! what do you think? Please give us your feed back, we are curious to know what you think.