All About Flowers!

When it comes to selecting your wedding flowers, there is a lot to think about. Using flowers that are in season is always great to give you the freshest and most vibrant flowers. But, how are you supposed to know what flowers are in season when there are so many to choose from? That is where your florist and coordinator step in to create the vision that you have with the flowers and colors you like, all while staying within your budget.

There are a lot of things you can bring with you when you go to meet with your florist that will help them see what your vision is clearly. Here is a list of helpful aids for you to bring to your initial meeting:

- Cut, print and gather. When discussing your color scheme, style and ideas, bring photos or image collages you have put together. Be it printed from websites you like, tears from magazines or a favorite piece of art that has inspired you, everything is helpful.

- Tell you florist your favorite and least favorite flowers. Even if you only have a few to mention, or don't know the names of them, the florist can name them for you and help get a sense of your style. Florists are artists. If you give them the direction, they can take it from there and create a beautiful proposal with your planner that will fit your style.

Image by Janae Shields

- Bring swatches! If you have selected your bridesmaid gowns, or have color samples of the palette you would like to aim for, bring them. It is really helpful to have on hand, and the florist can then match the ribbon colors to the bridesmaid gowns. You may not have these at your initial meeting, but it is something you should provide them with at least a month before your wedding.

- Be honest about your budget. The worst thing is to go in without one, and then you realize all your visions cost over $10,000. If that is your budget, that is fine, but for many it is not, and if your florist knows this from the start they can provide the best possible direction for you.

- Recycle. Many of your ceremony arrangements or bridesmaid bouquets can be re-used in the wedding reception. Make sure this is discussed with your florist at your meeting, as they will have the best ideas and the most realistic way to implement that. Also check if you are purchasing your containers. If you are, which we recommend, you can either send them home with guests, or re-use them the next day at your day after brunch. Make sure your coordinator knows, as they will set aside the ones that need to be used the next day, and have a space where guests can pick them up on their way out.

- If you don't have a planner, create a simple inspiration board. You can do this by going online and pasting pictures into a document that you can then email and bring to all your design related meetings. You can also create one online at Style Me Pretty's Style Circle.

Remember, you are not expected to know every flower that is out there. You know what you like and do not like, and with the above tools you will be well on your way to a great meeting and an amazing design palette!

Cheers,
Brittani

We are on Here Comes The Guide

As most of you know, getting listed on Here Comes the Guide takes quite a bit of work. In order to be considered for a listing, you have to submit 15 client and 15 vendor references. They carefully screen each one, and ask them many questions about how that vendor does business, what they had any issues with, and their overall feeling about that vendor. We are happy to report that we got rave reviews from all our references, and have been listed on the guide!

We are always humbled by the reviews we receive, and we feel this is a great step for our business to show that we have been screened and we are a reputable business.

Looking forward to making many more clients happy this year!

Happy Planning,

Real Engagement | Tina + Stephen by Anna Kuperberg

Okay, so Tina & Stephen have been the cutest, sweetest and most appreciative couple ever, plus they make me laugh constantly (Stephen once asked me if he needs a trial for his hair cut!). I have had so much fun with them over the past year planning their wedding that will take place next month in San Francisco. That is why getting these engagement photos from Anna Kuperberg made me even happier, as she truly caught their personality and deep love for each other. The pictures aren't about the scenery, yet the couple themselves, and I really think that is what makes Anna so special. Enjoy!Happy Planning!

Save the Date Ideas

Brittani Waldman is a wedding and event planner with us here at Dream A Little Dream Events, and is now going to be contributing to our blog! Brittani is a great planner with a lot of energy and humor that really makes her clients feel at ease. Here is her first post on some great Save the Date ideas:

It is that time of year where our upcoming summer and fall couples are coming up with ideas for their save the dates. The standard magnet is always a fine choice, but I have a few other ideas to make your save the dates a little more personal.

Photo booths are always a blast and an easy way to personalize the card. You can go to one at your local mall or if you are lucky enough to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hello! Lucky now houses their own in-house photo booth. You can do it with signs like “We are getting married!” “San Francisco” “July 3, 2010”, or without signs and have the team at Hello! Lucky take care of the rest or the verbiage.

Photo from Hello Lucky

A lot of our clients are from out of town and having destination weddings in San Francisco or in the Wine Country. Create your own post card with some of your favorite city sites to get your guests excited about the trip, or grab some tourist post cards, get a custom stamp made with all the details (you can do this at Paper Source), and send them off!

I also love the idea of incorporating a sticker that can be removed from the card and placed in a date book or on the family calendar. It makes it simple for your guests to make sure they have the date off their calendar immediately and won’t miss your big day! Check out the how to on this unique option on Martha Stewart.

No matter how you create your save the date’s, make sure the date is pronounced on the card the most so it will be sure to stay in your guest’s minds!

Cheers,

Brittani

Featured | Niki + Ben on Snippet & Ink's Blog

Niki and Ben's wedding was truly the unique, colorful and whimsical wedding that they had wished for all along, and I was so incredibly happy to have been a part of it. Held at the lovely James Leary Flood Mansion in San Francisco, this venue makes for a perfect backdrop for the weddings that are looking to do something different, as there are no carpets or wallpaper patterns to compete with.

I had long been a fan of Anna Kuperberg's work, and this wedding made me a fan for life. I still look at these pictures and am amazed at how much emotion and warmth was caught by her lens.


Enjoy the fresh photos on Snippet and Ink's wonderful blog that haven't been featured elsewhere of this adorable couple!

Happy Planning,

Giveaway | Bridal Tour Gift Bag & Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! With my job, every day is Valentine's Day, but to truly celebrate the person (or people) that you love is a great tradition. It should not to be masked or thought upon negatively by the overload of cards and chocolates that are in the stores, but leave you to be inspired to celebrate the way you feel appropriate.

I wrote a post on this last year, and this year, I'm celebrating with a lovely brunch this morning with both my boyfriend and son, the two biggest loves in my life, before spending the day with them. How do you plan on spending your day? We will draw one winner at random from the comments left on this post to win the gift bag that was collected on our last bridal tour! This bag has offers and gifts worth over $4500, so make your comment and enjoy your Valentine's Day!

Happy Planning!

Dream Bridal Tour Video Clip

When we ran our last Dream Bridal Tour in January, we were so lucky to have Thomas Hughes Video join us on our tour to catch the day in video to be able to share with everyone. Enjoy!

Dream Day Bridal Tour from Thomas Hughes Films on Vimeo.

Happy Planning!

Featured | Brides Northern California Magazine

I was interviewed recently for an article to run in the Brides Northern California Spring/Summer 2010 edition that was going to be about wedding ceremonies. They wanted to hear about the different ways couples were incorporating their traditions and guests into their ceremony. It is really a pretty magazine, with some very sweet real wedding features. Check it out on newsstands now!

Happy Planning!

Custom Maps

I am so loving these custom maps from Stephanie Barba. Her company, Couture Maps, is simply the cutest, and her maps are just what you need to set your wedding invitations apart from the rest. I received her beautiful package in the mail with a hand sewn map by Mira Aster, and it couldn't set the mood for a Hawaiian destination wedding more perfectly.

I'm so excited to share this with my clients and blog readers who are really looking for something different in their wedding stationery decisions, and so incredibly lucky that she is located here in San Francisco. She may need to be a stop on the next bridal tour!

Happy Planning!

Upcoming Events for San Francisco Brides to Be

There are some fun bridal events coming in the next month that I thought I would share for the local San Francisco brides to be.

~ Huckleberry Karen's Floral Workshop, Saturday Feb 27
1:00-4:00pm at the Huckleberry Karen Studio in San Francisco
$75 per person
For more information, email karen@huckleberrykarendesigns.com


~ The Union Street Wedding Ring, Sunday February 28
12:00pm VIP Reception, 1:00pm General Reception
$45 VIP Tickets, $20 Bride Tickets, $5 Guest Tickets

Peruse couture gowns and stunning jewels. Run your fingers over perfectly letter pressed stationary and handmade photo albums. Enjoy delectable cakes and sweets. Breath in the sweet scent of Peonies and Port. And much much more.

25 of San Francisco's most exclusive bridal shoppes, all on Union Street, and all offering special promotions- Bring your mom, your girls and your checklist for an afternoon of walking and wedding inspiration.

For more information, visit www.unionstreetweddingring.com

~ The Wedding Tea at Paper Source, Saturday February 20
10:00 - 11:00am
$15 per ticket

Join Paper Source for a lovely morning of sipping tea while enjoying sweet treats, as they share hands-on wedding inspired ideas and introduce our Paper Source 2010 Invitation Collection.

As a gift for spending the morning with them, you'll receive 10% off your purchases made that day. Attendance is limited to only 15 guests. Visit us in store or call them at the Fillmore or Chestnut Street locations or get more information at www.paper-source.com .


Happy Planning!

Bari + Justin | Old St. Mary's Cathedral & Omni Hotel | Dec 31

People have asked me how I rang in the New Year, and I simply tell them: I put together a joyous wedding for an absolutely amazing and gracious couple with one of the best vendor teams ever. The wedding literally rocked the entire Omni Hotel in San Francisco until after 1am, and the guests still wanted more!

I met with Bari and Justin, as well as Justin's mother, just over a year ago. We hit it off right away, and I knew this was going to be a fun wedding to plan and work. They live in LA, so their trips up to the Bay Area were always mapped out ahead of time, but somehow, Justin always squeezed in a visit to the cupcake shop we had planned to work with to get some red velvet cupcakes. Through all the visits, meetings and meals together, I became very close with the entire family, and truly enjoyed ever minute of working with them all.

Winter weddings can be so beautiful, and this one does not dissapoint. The vendors worked so seamlessly together, it all went off without a hitch, including the midnight live (delayed on PST) television feed countdown. Janae Shields was her usual amazing self and caught all the great moments that you can check out below, or click here to see the full slideshow. Enjoy!

The vendors that were involved in this wedding were:

Venue: The Omni Hotel San Francisco
Church: Old St. Mary's Cathedral
Florist: Leighsa with Branch Out Flowers
Djay: Mr Quick
Paper Details: Card de Luxe
Cupcakes: That Takes the Cake
Cake: TwoforTwo Cakes
Rentals: Hartmann Studios
Cable Car Transportation: Coach America
Video: Burkart Video

Happy Planning!