How We Met…
After finally getting over a really bad relationship my mom insisted that I sign up for an online dating site. I was pretty resistant at first but I guess I had nothing to loose. After a month of searching I came across this profile that really caught my eye. Anthony just seemed to be so down to earth and genuine. After a couple weeks of chatting he took me out on the most amazing first date ever. So I guess the online thing really does work lol!!!

The Proposal…
As a little girl I grew up going to Traverse City, MI for family vacations every summer. Last year the family decided it was time to take a trip back. It was the 4th of July and we were all sitting out by the lake watching the fireworks. Anthony asked me if I was having fun and I said definately, in return I wanted to make sure he was having a good time and he responded “only one thing would thing would make this vacation better, would you marry me?” Well of course I said yes and here we are now planning our big day!!!

My Big Day…
Every little girl dreams of the big day!!! Especially me. I have always wanted a big wedding. I want flowers and candles to illuminate the whole room. I want the food and music to be great. I just want everyone to have a great time!!!

I’m Taylor and I am a 21-year old of Pennsylvania. Following an internship in Philadelphia and the wedding, I plan on moving to Cambridge, England where my fiancé will be wrapping up his last year of graduate school before returning to his role as an Officer in the U.S. Navy. After nearly 6 years of dating (5 of those being long-distance), I am looking forward to being able to spending some time together!

How We Met…
John and I both went to the same school district, but since I was two years younger than him, we did not have any contact with one another. It wasn’t until after school one cold and snowy day in 2002 when my two friends and I saw a boy in a Cincinnati Bearcats hat walking home from school by himself. As obnoxious young teens are, my friend could not resist the urge to randomly yell “Cincinnati Bearcats…the girl in the orange jacket likes you!” Ducking behind the bushes outside, I had no idea that this random interaction would lead to a few years of shyly getting to know one another and then, the start of a high school romance once I became a freshman in 2005.

The Proposal…
The anticipation of John returning home for Christmas 2011 was about all I could handle. While we had been doing the long-distance thing for the past 4 years, this time it was different. We were no longer be connected by a 5 hour car drive that always made a nice weekend getaway, but rather a long flight across the Atlantic to the UK where he was studying at Cambridge. The Monday before Christmas, John asked me to come up to his house and go to dinner. I thought it was a bit random that he wasn’t coming to pick me up as he normally would; however, I did not find it to be a red flag. Once I arrived at John’s home, he said he thought we could possibly go and rent a few movies for the evening after we returned from dinner. We decided to walk to the library where we would be able to pick out the movies and the route took us straight through the grounds of the schoolyard where we had our first meeting. In the exact same spot, he pulled back on my hand, said that we weren’t really going for any movies and admitted that was the only way that he could get me out to the vacant lot where our school once stood. He then, pulled out a ring, got down on one knee and gave me one of the best memories that I think I will ever be able to look back on. After a few giddy moments, we returned to share the news with our family and friends…oh, and actually go to dinner!

My Big Day…
We are very fortunate to both have strong family ties and that is something we definitely want to incorporate into our wedding day. While we have access to some beautiful venues (The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, England, etc.) and those who would love to make the trek, we have decided that there isn’t anything more meaningful than getting married in our small hometown of Kinsman, Ohio with our loved ones surrounding us. While planning much more of a traditional wedding, I still would like to incorporate a lot of DIY projects into our big day. The theme is going to be more of a Winter Shabby Chic – blacks, grays, silvers and whites – and trying to avoid the red, even though we are getting married so close to Christmas. I am beyond excited for the big day as I will be able to begin the married life with my best friend all while having our loved ones there……………

Congrats!!!!

The public didn’t just open their hearts to Prince William and Kate Middleton this spring. They opened their wallets  $1.7 million raised for charity by the Royal Wedding Charitable Gift Fund.

William and Kate set up the fund so that anyone who wished to send them a wedding gift could instead donate to the couple’s chosen charities. In the end, the fund took in a grand total of £1,058,367 – or $1,706,828 – according to St. James’s Palace.

“Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted that these charities are able to benefit so positively from their special day,” said a statement from St. James.

“They would like to thank everyone who donated and contributed so generously to the charitable fund and for all the kindness and support shown to them throughout the wedding period.”

The funds included direct donations, as well as revenue raised from wedding-related projects. The latter included a donation by Decca Records from sales of the official Royal Wedding Album, and a donation made by Mario Testino’s office from sales of the photograph of the couple printed in the official wedding brochure.

The 26 charities that will benefit from the fund were grouped into particular areas: Changing Lives through Arts and Sport; Children Fulfilling Their Potential; Help and Care at Home; Support for Service Personnel and Their Families; and Conservation for Future Generations.

The funds will be distributed among the charities by the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.

Well with 28 years in the industry and having worked with thousands of vendors………….. the most important ingredient for your wedding is a complete design of what you envisio.  Put it in writing and structure it to be exactly what you want, draw it out, sketch it. Once that is done,  Hire the vendors that qualify to do these things.  Don’t hire friends, family, co-workers.  As much as they mean well and they love you.  This is one of the most important days of your life.  Make sure everyone unfolding your desing the day of has a clear picture of it and will do it!

Friar Tux Shop
www.friartux.com
10333 Lakewood Boulevard
Downey, CA 90241-2743
(562) 861-5316

Exciting times!  We were interveiwed by GetMarried.com and had a grea time!  Questions brought up were some that I feel would greatly help couples planing their wedding as I write.  First Dance,  the question was if the couple should select a song to dance to or if there is anything special that can be done for this.  And the answer is YES and YES.  The first dance is an extrmely important aspect of your reception.  This is where for the first time the couple dance as husband and wife.  I normally recommend my couples select a very special song.  A song that means so much to them and thier hearts.  Being the romantic that I am………….. I love to see couples dancing this first dance and looking as though there is noone in the room but them…………. how can this not get to one’s heart?   In one of the weddings I coordinated, we had a surprise for the bride and groom.  As the court entered for their grand entrance,  the court outlined the dance floor and made a receiving line for the bride and groom while holding a tea light in one hand and a handful of petals in the other.  When the bride and groom were in the middle of the dance floor, the court formed a circle around them “circle of friends” and just as the couples first song began  the court all threw the rose petals on the couple, showering them with the petals and placed the tealight around the dance floor and walked away.  If that wasn’t the most romantic setting anyone has ever seen at a first dance, I don’t know what is.  In the wedding video you can see how the couple is just taken a back on the surprised rose petal shower they’ve just had and how romantic the feeling was and everyone witnesseing this is left in awe.  As a planner, when you can see the emotions of your couple and their guest and see the incredible and unforgetable moments they are experiencing you now you have done your job!   As Always happy planning!

Since we’ve been attending bridal shows not only for our company but for Wedspace.com and weddingsolutions.com as regional directors, we’ve had lots of interaction with couples planning their weddings. Being such an analytical kind of person, I noticed the lack of information couples have when they are attending these shows. I truly believe that couples get engaged hoping to plan one of the most beautiful and unforgettable day of their lives. Attending these show, although I truly believe they are fun and informative, couples don’t get the best of them. They don’t come with a plan! or the right questions! If you think how valuable your planning hours are, one would think they would make better use of them. Take this point of view; I met with a bride and her mother, they had some of the best questions of the day and being a certified wedding planner, I gave them all the answers ( joking, I told the mom I would bill her later)………… but nothing was written down, options, suggestions So after meeting with about 100 other vendors, at the end of the day, they probably empty out all of the goodies and business cards, brochures etc, etc, and try to remember what important and valuable information was received. As a “planner” a plan of action is crucial!!! Not only will you save time and money but you will have the wedding of your dreams and within your budget! If you haven’t budgeted for a wedding planner as of yet, maybe you can have a complimentary consultation with them and receive extremely valuable information to take with you for vendor and items selections when attending these shows. Now a days, with everyone’s work and school schedule time seems what most couples lack and are in need of to plan their wedding. Make the best use of it my planning accordingly!!!

As always happy planning!!!

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