A little Friday funny

I am getting ready to enjoy a rare weekend off, and by off, I mean no weddings. I still end up working, whether it's putting together timelines or answering emails at all times, but the thought of spending my Friday night with my family and friends at Gaspare's Pizzeria is bringing a big smile to my face!



I thought I would bring a smile to some of your faces by posting two photos that the wonderful Kerry Rodgers of Kerry Rodgers Photography sent me from our wedding together last weekend at the Hotel Vitale. The great thing about my job is you never know what you will be faced with at any given wedding. The key is being able to roll with the punches, and Kerry actually caught me in this photo trying to snatch a glass of champagne out of one of the groomsmen's hands on his way down the aisle! The best part was he refused to give it up, and when I told him there was no way was he going down with it, he actually took it down like a shot. It was a funny moment, but the couple was spared having a drinking groomsman standing next to them in all their ceremony photos, and they didn't know a thing about it until after the wedding. Another misstep avoided!

And the after shot... laughing it off

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend! Get out and enjoy this lovely weather we've been having.

As always, happy planning!

kathryn

A treat for tired eyes

Hi ladies! Today I thought I would discuss something that affects most brides during the week of their wedding; lack of sleep which equals puffy, tired looking eyes. After the week I just had full of meetings, tastings, weddings and an engagement party I threw for my friends (and assistant) Taryn and Greg, I was completely worn out. My sleep was interrupted many nights dreaming about my DIY projects and a bit of anxiety if everything would go well. Yes, even the pros go through that! By the morning of the party, I was starting to look like I was suiting up for a football game with eye black under my eyes.

The good news is I have many products in my arsenal that allowed me to treat and repair the look of my eyes by the time the party began last night. So, here are the products and tools I recommend for any bride (or anyone who ever deals with these issues):

1) Gel Eye Mask: This is something I keep in my fridge at all times. Sometimes I wake up with just puffy eyes, and I like to put an eye gel on (will discuss further below), and place the cool gel mask over it. I lay on the couch for about 10 minutes while I boil water to make some green tea. It's nice to relax if you can for a few moments and have some time to yourself, especially if it's the morning of your wedding. By the time I see some of my brides, they look like they've been on a week long bender, and most say they didn't sleep the night before whether it was anxiety or their bridesmaids keeping them up all night!

2) Origins No Puffery: I can never be without this product, and neither should any bride. I keep mine in the fridge also, and put the gel on for as long as I can when I wake up with that not so bright eyed look. Slather it on, put your coll gel mask over it, and ta-da, you are de-puffed. I don't recommend wearing it during the day, it can be a little too tacky under makeup.

3) Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller: This is a brand new product that I have instantly fell in love with. It's perfect for a quick treat if you don't have time for the treatment discussed above. It is a small tube of gel with a roller dispenser on the top, so you quickly spread it back and forth under your eyes, and the cooling sensation of the roller and the treatment gel seem to de-puff and diminish the dark circles. You can even toss it in your purse, this is a must have!

4) Shu Uemura Depsea Moisture Replenishing Eye Mask: This is a product that the participants on the September bridal tour got to take home in their goodie bag, and it's such a treat! It is a hydrating, fresh sheet mask that intensely moisturizes dehydrated areas of the eye in just minutes. The shape of the mask perfectly covers the eye contour to significantly minimize the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. This is something easy to throw on your eyes as you get out of the shower, before you put on makeup.

5) Stay hydrated: Since this is free, you would think we as women would do it more, but the truth is, when we are stressed and overly busy, we don't drink enough water or eat well. That's why if you can keep a bottle of fresh water with you throughout the day, you can try and combat that sleepy look from within as well. With more water intake, make sure to keep the alcohol intake that week down as well, as it causes sleep disruptions, bloating and puffiness.

So, those are my tricks of the trade for keeping your eyes looking as good as you do in your wedding dress! They say that the eyes are the first to age us, and you want to look as fresh and youthful as you can in your pictures.

Here is a picture at the end of the party last night of me, the beautiful bride-to-be, Taryn, and my boyfriend Joe. We had a great time, and I'm looking forward to posting the professional photos here soon!

As always, happy planning!

Cheers,
kathryn

DIY Brides - Check out this site!

Some of my clients are pretty creative, and sometimes they like to use their talents to create their own invitations, place cards, programs, etc. My good friend Nessa Sander, who owns Cardgirl Custom Invitations, just released a wonderful site for the DIY brides out there called Cardgirl DIY. There is just so much information, templates, and links to sites to help you get the supplies you need. I'm telling all my current clients about it, as I just used it last week to make my own wine labels. What a great resource and saved me a ton of time!

For those of you that want someone else to be the creative engineer for your wedding paper goods, definitely check out Nessa's site for custom invitations and other materials for your wedding. She can customize anything, and has made many of my clients very happy!

I have been working like crazy, October is our busiest month this year, but I'm hoping to post some more recent weddings here soon. They were all so beautiful and unique, so I'm anxiously awaiting the photos to share with everyone. We are also busy planning our second bridal tour set for January, an open house and all the weddings and events coming up for 2009. Should be another fun filled year with lots of fabulous weddings!

Happy Planning,
Kathryn

Photos from the Dream Bridal Tour

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of meeting a great group of brides that signed up for our first ever Dream Bridal Tour. To explain it better, it's basically a bridal show on wheels. We started with a lovely brunch at Pres a Vi in the Presidio, and from there, we hit up many of the local vendors for demonstrations and presentations on their services. We tasted chocolates, got waxing tips, tried on lashes at the Shu Uemura lash bar and dresses at Betsey Johnson. It was a long day, but we had a lot of fun, and the group got to walk away with a lot of goodies from the great vendors that participated. You can check out the full slide show from Andrew Weeks Photography by clicking here.

Here is the list of the wonderful vendors from the first tour:

Pres a Vi Restaurant

California Wine Tours

Weeks Photography

Cocoa Bella Chocolates

Haute Bride

A Day In May

Habit

Sugarcane

M Therapeutic

Paper Source

Shu Uemura

Betsey Johnson

The good news is that we are doing this again in January! It will be slightly different, but still the same amount of fun, information and goodies. If you are interested on being on our waiting list, please email us.

Happy Planning!

Kathryn

Jessica + Lee-Ming | July 5th

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in almost a month! I just got these photos in from Nick Brown from Jessica and Lee-Ming's wedding at the Flood Mansion, and had to share them right away! I was lucky enough to get to work with these two amazing people on their wedding this past year. What a beautiful, fun couple! The challenge was planning the wedding while the couple lived in New York. Everything came out perfectly though, and they had a great group of vendors behind them to make it all happen.

Venue: Flood Mansion

Caterer: Melons Catering

Florist: Natalie Bowen Designs

Photographer: Nick Brown

Rentals: Classic Burlingame

Djay: Gracie from Denon & Doyle

Cable Car Rentals: Cable Car Charters

I'll be posting more recent weddings here soon!

Happy Planning,
Kathryn

Sign-up for "The Dream Bridal Tour"

We are so excited to announce our first ever "Dream Bridal Tour!" This is an exciting event as we are taking a group of brides on a private tour of some of the best places in San Francisco to find all your bridal needs. We're not talking about venues and florists here, but the little details that most brides don't know where to start with. What about where to get your favors, or maybe some custom invitations, or even the spray tan to make you glow on your big day? You'll find all of this out and enjoy the following:

A chauffeured tour in a shuttle provided by California Wine Tours
A private shopping experience at Haute Bride (opening just for our participants!)
A cocktail party at Betsey Johnson to view rehearsal and bridesmaid gowns
A lovely brunch with myself, my staff and the other participants
Plus much, much more!

Participants will be able to meet and ask questions of all the Dream a Little Dream Events staff and will be able to compare wedding planning stories with the other brides in attendance.

Tour takes place on Sunday September 28th from 10:30am-4:30pm. Price is $40/per person, and includes brunch and transportation. Enter code DREAM to get $10 off and purchase your tickets online here.

We are all really looking forward to this event!!

Happy Planning,
Kathryn

What NOT to wear to a wedding

While enjoying a rare Saturday off, I thought I would add a new post to my blog about something that has become somewhat of a trend: dressing horribly inappropriate at weddings. After personally attending five weddings this year, and working 19, I have come to the realization that some people really need some help in the "what not to wear to a wedding" department.

Some of these may seem obvious to most, but I'm not just talking about a female guest wearing white or a male guest wearing a shirt and tie when the protocol called for black tie. I'm talking about absolutely outrageous outfits that you wouldn't even expect to see at the Playboy Mansion. I have photos, but I'm choosing not to post them here to not get in any trouble on that front, but trust me, there have been outfits that actually have offended the bride and groom so much, that I actually had the horrible task of asking one guest to go home and change. Yikes!

So, in order to hopefully educate some future wedding guests, please take these tips when you're perusing your closet before attending a wedding. It will save you from much embarrassment and possible incriminating photos of you being posted all over Facebook, and the main reason, to not make your friends or family upset. As I always say, it's better to be overdressed than under dressed.

1. No White It seems obvious and yet so many guests seem to forget. Material that is mostly white with a small pattern is a no. White suits are a no. If there's a question...no. White garb is meant for one person only and that's the bride! Always.

2. Skip the Shorts and Flip Flops Don't do it. I don't even care if it's a beach wedding and the attire says "casual". Even if you try to dress them up with a blazer or a pair of sexy heels (which I don't recommend anytime). Guys, you too, I've seen it at a black tie optional wedding in the wine country. No joke!

3. Show Your Class Tiny miniskirts, low cut shirts and bustier tops are best left for a night out with the girls. Even if you are the sexiest woman in America, but they just don't know it yet, please refrain. Another side note in this category is to make sure your outfit fits. If I had a nickel for every wardrobe malfunction I've seen during "Y.M.C.A".

4. No Guest Should Wear Tails If it's a black tie wedding, men are going to be renting a tux or digging one out of storage. A classic or modern-cut style is the best bet. Stay away from extra frills like tails, ruffles, loud colors, or satins. Even if you plan to be the funny man in a powder blue '70s number, refrain. All attention should not be on you.

5. All That Glitters Is Not Gold Stay away from anything lamé, sequined, shiny, or glittery. It's distracting (both in person and in the photos).

6. Lose The Leather Enough said.

7. Mad Hatters Whether you wear a baseball cap to show your allegiance to your favorite team, disguise thinning hair, or hide a bad hair day, a wedding is the last place to don one. Some ladies choose to wear their large Kentucky Derby hats, which for an outdoor hot Georgia wedding is okay, but an indoor San Francisco drizzly evening wedding looks completely out of place.

8. Give The Wild West A Rest Bandanas, cowboy boots, and ten-gallon hats all make it onto the list of what not to wear. Unless the betrothed couple has planned a themed bash and requests that guests get decked out in ranch gear, save these goodies for another day.

9. Dress to the Nines Don't be too cool to don your finest duds. Honor the couple's union by leaving your jeans at home -- even the really really nice ones! Unless the invitation mentions a beach barbecue or luau, forgo the casual fare and plan on turning it up. It's a wedding after all!

Happy Planning and watch for our announcement next week regarding our exciting San Francisco bridal tour exclusively for the first 20 brides that sign up! It's going to be a fabulous day with lots of cool surprises and fun for all that attend.

Kathryn