Friday, February 26, 2010

Introduction :: My 1st Video Blog!


Whew! It's been an unexpectedly very busy, yet very good day today! I had originally hoped to get this video up on the blog this morning, but haven't had a chance to do so until now. In any case, I hope you enjoy my first attempt at video blogging! 

Happy Friday! : )

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Paper Bag Ceremony Programs

There are really no words to describe how much I adore these paper bag ceremony programs that I found on Elizabeth Anne Designs this afternoon! I've seen some unique ceremony programs over the years, but these take the cake for originality! This particular bride & groom filled their bags with rose petals for guests to toss at the end of their outdoor ceremony. You could really fill these with anything that you wanted though...water bottles, sweet treats, confetti, sparklers - you name it! 

Ok, 2010 outdoor ceremony brides - who's up for giving these bags a try?! 

Photo courtesy of Max Wanger via Elizabeth Anne Designs.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Casting Call for Brides :: Get Married TV

Are you a bride-to-be interested in appearing on TV? Get Married’s national wedding program is looking for passionate brides to appear on its television show. Throughout the half-hour program which airs every Saturday at 9:30am ET/PT on WE tv, host Stacie Francombe—Get Married’s CEO and founder—helps brides identify and match their personality with their unique bridal style. Brides are guided through an array of bridal experiences and participate in inspiring challenges with wedding professionals and experts.

Interested brides-to-be are encouraged to apply by visiting www.getmarried.com/omg where additional details are posted. Brides across the country could be saying "OMG! I’m going to be on TV!"

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Guest Book Alternative :: Stone Wishing Well

Yesterday I talked about personalizing your wedding with unique elements, and today's blog post could not be more representative of that idea. I found this photo on InStyle Weddings while browsing the site for wedding inspiration (it's one of my weekly reads). The photo above is from a real wedding where the bride and groom wanted to incorporate a unique guest book idea reflective of their garden-themed nuptials. Each guest was given a smooth stone to hold onto during the ceremony, and then asked to make a wish for the couple. Afterwards, each guest was invited to place their stone into the jar above.

I personally love this unique idea, and feel that it will be something that this couple will display in their home for years to come, and will certainly hold onto forever!

Photo courtesy of InStyle Weddings.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Vintage Key Save-the-Dates | Personalizing Your Wedding

How creative is this save-the-date?! I can guarantee you that their guests were not expecting to receive this in their mailbox! If you've ever sat down with me for more than 5 minutes, you probably know that I am huge advocate for personalizing your wedding with unique, out-of-the-box ideas. While I do still appreciate tradition, I will never tell a client that they have to do anything when it comes to their wedding. If you want to serve ice cream instead of cake, go for it! If you want to host a casual Sunday morning brunch reception, instead of a formal five-course dinner, go for it! If you want to walk down the aisle carrying a non-floral bouquet instead of a traditional bouquet, then go for it!

With that being said, if you want to follow wedding tradition step by step according to Emily Post, then you can definitely do that too! Chances are, you'll probably be somewhere in the middle....you'll want to incorporate those unique, personalized touches into your wedding, but you'll also want to make Mom happy as well. Bottom line is, it's YOUR wedding!

What do you think about non-traditional weddings? Are you incorporating any "out-of-the-box" ideas into your wedding?

Photo courtesy of Olivia Leigh Photographie via Ruffled Blog

Monday, February 8, 2010

Etsy Find :: Knitted Cozies

This is totally unrelated to weddings, but these knitted cozies were just too cute to pass up this morning! Enjoying a delicious cup of coffee or hot chocolate with one of these cozies wrapped around a "to go" cup would be the perfect way to start a busy day! These cozies are also available for mugs. Head on over to Etsy to check out KnitStorm's entire shop of handmade cozies!

Hopefully everyone who was effected by the massive mid-Atlantic snow storm (aka Snowmageddon) over the weekend is staying safe, and warm!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

We're Now on Skype!

With many of our clients living out of town, I decided to take some time on this snowy Saturday afternoon to see what Skype was all about. After a brief tutorial and lesson, I'm very happy to announce that Simply Perfect Weddings is now signed up for Skype! Since most of our clients are out-of-town, and are coming "home" to Pittsburgh for their weddings, I spend a great deal of time on the phone holding planning meetings and consultations. Several of our clients have already asked us about Skype, and from this point forward will have the ability to hold meetings through Skype if they so desire.

In addition to Skype, you can also stay connected with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Non-Floral Bouquets



Non-floral bouquets are making a BIG splash in the wedding world as of late, and this morning I rounded up a few of my favorites to share with you all! You name it, and you can probably design a bouquet with it...fabric, brooches, feathers, buttons, and even seashells! Detailed blog post about all of your non-floral bouquet options coming soon!

Enjoy, and Happy Friday!

{Photo Credits}

Photo # 1 - Alice Hu Photography via Ruffled Blog
Photo #2 - Pink Posh Photography via Stephanie Michele Events
Photo #3 - The Wedding Chicks Blog


Thursday, February 4, 2010

Valentine's Day Inspiration from Amy Atlas

If you don't know who Amy Atlas is by now, be sure to head on over to her website and blog for some serious eye candy! As someone who has a mild obsession with Valentine's Day (& dessert!), I just couldn't stop myself from gushing over these fantastic dessert ideas put together by Amy herself. Love the concept, love the color scheme, love it all!

Happy (early) Valentine's Day! ; )

{Click on image to enlarge | Photo Credits as seen here.}

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Wedding Goodie Bags

These goodie bags are ridiculously cute in my opinion! These are quick and easy to make (under 5 minutes!), and would be a great departing gift at the end of the night for your guests. Fill them with warm chocolate chip cookies and a "to go" container of milk!

For the goodie bag template and instructions, head on over to The Wedding Chicks blog for complete details!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Introducing a New Consulting Service for Pittsburgh Brides

Here at Simply Perfect Weddings, we understand that beginning the wedding planning process can be an overwhelming and daunting task for many brides. We've recently received quite a few phone calls from brides in need of some guidance to get them on track with their wedding planning - the only catch was that they couldn't necessarily afford to hire a full-service wedding planner. These phone calls have inspired us to offer a new level of service to Pittsburgh brides!

While we do currently offer hourly consultations, along with full-planning and wedding day coordination services, we've decided to add a NEW cost-effective & convenient one-on-one consulting package to our service menu. We realize that many brides can greatly benefit from sitting down with a professional wedding planner for a few hours to "pick our brains" about their ideas and answer their questions, regardless of their budget. The consulting package is not only for brides who are just beginning the wedding planning process, it's also for brides who may be "stuck" in the middle of their planning, and just need someone to answer their questions and guide them in the right direction. The consulting package is a one-on-one "coaching session", and includes the following items:
  • (1) two-hour consulting/coaching session with Sumer Schmitt {owner & principal wedding planner}
  • $100 credit towards the purchase of our comprehensive 'Complete Wedding Management' or 'Wedding Day Coordination' service levels
  • Simply Perfect Weddings "swag bag" full of wedding planning goodies, vendor recommendations/discounts, helpful wedding planning checklists, and more!
Consulting packages are currently being offered at an introductory rate of $150 for the month of February.

Consulting sessions are scheduled by appointment only. As weddings are our full-time job, we do have weekday availability, as well as evenings and weekends. Prior to our session, you will be asked to fill out a pre-consultation questionnaire to help us better understand you, as well as your wedding day vision.

If you would like to obtain more information about our consulting sessions, or would like to book a session, please contact Sumer at sumer@simplyperfectwedding.net, or check out our website.

We look forward to hearing from you! Happy Planning! : )