Weding Wise Wednesday - May 15th (Los Angeles Wedding Planner)

Every Wednesday, I bring you the best wedding stories, events and deals in Los Angeles and from around the web. And we call it Wedding Wise Wednesday. Welcome!

Cool Wedding Thing of the Week:

 

A Plexi Acrylic wedding invitation, created by Paper Damsels in Ontario. I'm looking for a good source for these in L.A., so stand by, but here's a list from across the country.

The Events:

Sunday, May 19
Bridal Showplace
Hyatt Regency Long Beach
200 S. Pine Ave
Long Beach, CA 90802
Admission: $7.00 at the door, $6.00 online


Tuesday, May 21st
7:00pm
DIY A Fabulous Sweets Display and Details
Venice Community Center Ballroom
132 Brooks Ave
Venice, CA90291
Sweets buffets are all the rage, and this your chance to find out how to put one together for your wedding: Deciding how much you'll need, Finding the plates and stands, creating the backdrops, and answers to any all questions you might have.
Sponsored by Fabulously Wed. 
Admission: Free

The Deals:

Weddings by Oriental Trading : Vintage Inspired Wedding Collection. Lanterns, parasols, personalized burlap table runners, all in one place, and reasonably priced. You're welcome!

Last few days for Alfred Angelo sale! Save up to $300 on their Modern Vintage or Sapphire Bridal Collections.

Wedding Outlet - $31.95 - Customized Two Color Ribbon Ring Bearer pillow. Available in white or ivory with your choice of 28 ribbon colors. 






See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events
www.silvercharmevents.com
323-592-9318
liz@silvercharmevents.com

Rehearsals on the Fly and Paying Your Vendors in Full? (Los Angeles Wedding Planner)

My weekly advice column on The Broke-Ass Bride is up:

Not at your venue? Still possible. (Photo by Front Room Photography)

Dear Liz,
Here is my quandary…my fiance and I are getting married in September and our venue is so booked solid that we can’t get rehearsal time in the space the week before. Even though the wedding is in the city where we live (Chicago), nearly all of our families are traveling for it, including most of our wedding party, so we can’t ask them to come in earlier just to do a run-through. We wanted to have a dinner for the wedding party to thank them and touch base with them anyway, so we will actually be getting them all together at a restaurant the day before, so I was wondering if there was some way we could try to do one, or parts at least–there. I’ve heard of this being managed, but I can’t really picture how it would work. I know some people don’t do rehearsal dinners at all, but I really want to be able to have a run-through with everyone—I’m not a control freak (the bridesmaids picked their own dresses and shoes, etc., and we’ve been really flexible with each others’ families and their wishes) but it’s been freaking me out a little not to have this part settled, and to think of everyone going into the ceremony cold. Any suggestions?
Signed,
Practice Makes Perfect

Find out what I told her, and why vendors ask for payment in full, by clicking here. 

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events
www.silvercharmevents.com
323-592-9318
liz@silvercharmevents.com

HuffPost Live - Planning a 5-Star Wedding on A Shoestring budget - 5/9/13

 Here's the live chat I did on Huffpost Live yesterday, about sticking to your wedding budget. Don't be fooled - EVERYONE has a wedding budget. It might be bigger than yours, but they're still trying to stick to it. Here are some tips on how to make it work:




See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events
www.silvercharmevents.com
323-592-9318
liz@silvercharmevents.com

Wedding Wise Weekly - May 10 (Los Angeles Wedding Planner)

Every Wednesday I bring you the best wedding stories, events and deals in Los Angeles and from around the web. And we call it Wedding Wise Wednesday. Welcome!

Cool Wedding Thing of the Week:

Martha Stewart Weddings has it's own You Tube Channel now! Tips on buying dresses, Wedding DIY (by MARTHA), tips on luxe for less, it's all here. You're welcome!

Events:
Saturday & Sunday, May 11-12
Unique L.A. Spring Show
California Market Center
110 East Ninth street, 90079
This annual show is one of my favorites - it's the largest independent design show in the country,  meet and shop directly from over 350 hand-selected designers and artists. Free DIY and crafts workshops all weekend, free cocktails, tons and tons of cool stuff to look at and buy for your wedding, and really, for your life. GO. I will see you there on Saturday.
Admission: $10, which covers both days.



Deals:

J.Crew is having a great sale on their clearance dresses, including this little pretty right here, in about 8 different colors, ranging from $69-89. And, if you use the code "SUNSHINE" when you check-out, you get an extra 30% off. Oh, yeah. GO.

Budget Savvy Bride - Free Printable Wedding Table Numbers. Get your paper and print 'em up!

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events
www.silvercharmevents.com
323-592-9318
liz@silvercharmevents.com

Bu

Fancy Chiavari Chair Ties (Los Angeles Wedding Planner)

So, for Sunday's wedding, my bride wanted this gorgeous tie on her chairs:

So, start with a chiavari chair and a 4ft by 8ft piece of tulle and...

And here is the finished product, 100+ of which my team was able to pull off in a couple of hours:

Have fun!

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events
www.silvercharmevents.com
323-592-9318
liz@silvercharmevents.com

Wedding Wise Wednesday - May 1, 2013 (Los Angeles Wedding Planner)

Every Wednesday, I bring you the best wedding stories, events and deals in Los Angeles, and from around the web. And we call it Wedding Wise Wednesday. Welcome!

Cool Wedding Thing of the Week:

Mmm...

Root beer floats in champagne glasses, courtesy of Southern Weddings Magazine.  The wedding I'm coordinating on Sunday is having a kid's table, and I think this just might be the thing to liven it up.

The Events:

Saturday, May 4
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Wedding Gown Auction
Benefiting The House of Deliverance Wedding Shelter
Knox Presbyterian Church
5840 La Tijera Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90230
Brand new designer gowns, starting at $350. First 100 brides are free, admission is $20 after that, so GO. 

The Deals:

A couple of deals from a couple of my favorite wedding bloggers...

NYC bridal designer Pantora $125 off any wedding dress order with coupon code “BAB13″, and get 20% off of flower girl dresses, headpieces, and sashes with coupon code “BROKEASS13″!  Thanks to The Broke-Ass Bride for the pull.

10% off candy wedding accessories  Edible Weddings & More,
when you use the promo code Offbeat10 at checkout. Thanks, Offbeat Bride!

Ann's Bridal Bargains - 15% off all wedding accessories when you use the code MAYDAY15 at checkout.  You have until May 4th (Friday) to take advantage of it. 

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events
www.silvercharmevents.com
323-592-9318
liz@silvercharmevents.com

Twenty, Twenty, Twenty-Four Hours to Go...(Los Angeles Wedding Planner)

I'm in the last week of my big wedding this Sunday, so I thought it would be nice to give you a heads-up on what you need to do the last few days before YOUR wedding. This article first appeared on the Broke-Ass Bride a  couple of years ago. Let another trip in the wayback time machine commence...

Don’t get sedated. Just get ready.
 

Yes. I did just type that. When it comes to weddings, I have no shame.

Smile! You're getting married tomorrow!

The first thing you do need to do is to not panic. You’ve spent months, heck, years, even, planning this day, so you have to believe that everything is going to be fabulous. And it will be, I promise. But like Jesus (or maybe it was Winston Churchill) said, “Faith without works is dead.”

Dawn is fast approaching. Let’s get started. 

So, what else do you need?

You need to pack for the next day. Comfortable clothes and shoes for before the wedding, including a button-down shirt so you don’t mess up your hair and make-up when you get undressed in order to get into your dress.  Double-check that you have all your accessories. As far as what you need during the wedding, here’s the emergency kit that I bring to all my weddings, with a list of what’s in it, so you can build your own. It lives in my car in the meantime – you’d be surprised how much this stuff comes in handy on a regular basis! When you’re about to walk into a meeting and look down and realize that you’re covered in dog hair, the lint roller is a life-saver. Sigh. I don’t want to talk about it, I just keep it in the back seat.

If you’re like me, and you can’t keep a manicure decent for 48 hours, the day before your wedding is the time to have one, plus, it’s a nice way to relax. That’s the great thing about manicures – pretty much the only thing you can do during it is, well, have a manicure. Bring a bridesmaid or two with you.
However, the day before your wedding is NOT the time to get a bikini wax. Just trust me on that one.

You need to figure out when and where you’re going to eat before your wedding. You know how I feel about that. Eat breakfast, even if you don’t normally eat breakfast. If you’re staying at a hotel the night before, order room service, schedule a time to go downstairs and eat in the restaurant, or make sure that someone is going to bring you sustenance. It’s going to be a long day. Don’t be a hero. If you know you’re going to imbibe freely at your rehearsal dinner the night before, make sure you have your proven hangover remedies available. And drink water, plenty of water. Pee before you put on your dress!
Hopefully, you’ve spent the week before confirming your vendors, and if you’ve missed someone, give them a quick call before your rehearsal dinner. Call, not email, because there’s a better chance that you’ll be able to get a hold of them, and that they’ll be able to get back to you. And you already have the best numbers to reach everyone on your wedding day, right, just in case it’s a different number? That goes for any family and friends that are going to be helping you out, too. Your wedding rehearsal is a great time for this. Confirm – nicely – what it is they have agreed to do, and when they’ve agreed to do it. Give them whatever materials and supplies they need to get the job(s) done.  And don’t forget to say Thank You!


Make a list of everyone who needs to be paid on the big day, and write all your checks and separate your cash out, including tips, then decide how and where you’re going to take it with you tomorrow. Ah, yes, tips? Hairstylist, Make-up artist, Limo driver, bartender(s), although that last one is considered a judgment call if they have a tip jar at the bar. You’re welcome!

See you at the end of the aisle, 


Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events
www.silvercharmevents.com
323-592-9318
liz@silvercharmevents.com

Hot Summer Wedding Relief (Los Angeles Wedding Planner)

It was 75 degrees today, and I think Summer might just officially be here. Cool sunglasses as wedding favors? Sounds good.
Check out more Pinterest Board Hot Summer Wedding Relief to find out how to manage the heat during your outdoor wedding.

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events
www.silvercharmevents.com
323-592-9318
liz@silvercharmevents.com