http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/chicago10 /mvanderbaa

Email me if you are interested!

Meg

Where: VICTORIA PARK, 1700 S. Elmhurst Road, Mount Prospect, IL

When: Friday, March 20 – 10 am to 8 pm & Saturday, March 21 – 10 am to 6 pm

The Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to granting last wishes for men and women suffering from Stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer, has received thousands of wedding gowns for its “Brides Against Breast Cancer” Nationwide Tour of Gowns.

On March 19 and 20, the Tour will return to the Chicago area with a truckload of grand and beautiful bridal gowns from well-known sources in sizes ranging from 2 to 44. Most gowns in the collection have been donated by members of the bridal industry; some are runway samples, modeled at recent Market shows. Others are gifts from individuals across the country. The selection – one of the largest assembled in the U.S. — will include hundreds of current styles from a long list of well-known designers and manufacturers at unbelievably low prices. An impressive array of veils, crinolines and other accessories will also be offered.

Most gowns have been marked down 40% to 75% below traditional salon prices. Prices range from $99 to $799 for values to $3,500. A collection of Designer and Couture bridals retailing to $8,000 will also be included, with none priced higher than $2,499.

Admission for the sale is FREE. Cash and Credit Cards will be accepted for payment.

Every gown purchased at the sale will help Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation to fulfill it’s Mission: To educate and grant wishes for those individuals who are losing the battle against breast cancer.

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Cheers!

We were quoted in an online article today at Lovingyou.com. Check out #4! Thanks to Jen and Ed for their adorable proposal story.

Kim & Will in Puerto Rico

Romantic proposals from real couples:

With a little help from man’s best friend
Lisa Ordakowski of Virginia and her fiancé, Andrew, enjoyed a romantic meal at their favorite restaurant before he popped the question amidst a shower of candles and rose petals in their living room. “Our Siberian huskies greeted me with t-shirts that said ‘Will You Marry Me’,” says Lisa.

To many years of good fortune
The staff at a local Chinese restaurant in Tucson, Arizona helped Matt Russell out with his proposal to wife of 18 years, Nancy. “I inserted the ring into a fortune cookie. When the server brought the check, she opened the cookie and I took a knee. The rest is history.”

Hunting for love
“I sent Kate on a five-stop scavenger hunt through New York City,” says Cole Kelly of Georgia. “After lunch at Lombardi’s, I asked her to close her eyes and count to 20. I put a note on the table and ran.” After challenging five different people for clues on Cole’s whereabouts, Kate found him at the last stop with a rose and ring.

Simple and charming
Meghann VanderBaan is a wedding planner in Chicago and says that sometimes the simplest proposals are best, giving an example from one of her clients. “[They were] walking with their dog on the lakefront in Chicago. The groom got down on one knee and proposed with a ring that was an exact replica of her grandmother’s.”

Telling everyone on the street
Melanie and Remco from California met through the online dating service, eHarmony. “I came home one night and Remco had painted a beautiful street painting of a Cupid in the driveway,” says Melanie. “It was surrounded with tea light candles and he had Champagne and chocolates.”

Cheers to a long life together
“My husband proposed to me in Greece,” says Jennifer Heinly of California. “He bought two goblets, one inscribed with ‘Will You Marry Me, Jennifer’ and poured Greek champagne into it. The other goblet was for my response. We did our first toast for our wedding with them.”

Capturing the moment
After whisking her away to San Diego for the weekend, Erin Burns’ fiancé got down on one knee in a winery vineyard. Enlisting the help of a friend, Erin’s husband-to-be rented a long lens camera to keep a digital record of the proposal. “We have beautiful photographs of the moment, something we’ll cherish forever,” she says.

Love on display for all to see
Cicely Rocha-Miller’s fiancé put her engagement ring on display at the Phoenix Art Museum with a placecard that read, “Cicely’s ring, on temporary loan by Mr. Joseph A. Miller, American 21st century, precious gemstones and platinum, June 18, 2005.” According to her, the white-gloved guards couldn’t remove the glass case fast enough!

Choosing a special location
Kevin Decker proposed to his wife, Joy, at the top of her favorite D.C. landmark, the Washington Monument, after making an impromptu visit to her office. “The two park service rangers were the first to congratulate us on our engagement,” says Joy.

Surrounded by love
Annette and Franjo Zovko’s engagement was a real family affair. After popping the question, Franjo led Annette back to their Illinois condo where friends and family were waiting to celebrate. “His parents and sister had secretly flown in for our engagement. My whole family was there, he even flew my sister in from New York. It was a really great moment.”

Cheers to a long and happy life together
A typical night of drinks with friends turned out to be anything but usual for Jillian Montes of Florida whose husband proposed by hiding the engagement ring in her mimosa. “I kept thinking there was ice in my drink and then I saw the ring sitting at the bottom of the glass,” she says.

Cruising through life together
“I was proposed to in 2007, and married in 2008 on the same day, on a cruise ship,” says Amanda Vega. “I had no idea he was going to propose and when he got down on one knee I told him to get up because the floor was dirty. Everyone laughed.”

A new year and a new life together
Kim from Texas recalls her recent romantic New Years’ proposal from her fiancé, Will. “After a really nice dinner at our hotel in Puerto Rico, we were walking back up the stairs to our room and he “tripped.” When I turned around to see if he was alright, he was down on one knee. I stumbled through some sort of answer like ‘yeah… uh yes,’ I was so surprised. It was cute and funny. And to think, I didn’t understand why he was so nervous at dinner!”

If you book a Day Chic! Wedding Day Coordination Package with us for the 2009 calendar year by Valentine’s Day, we’d love to give you a sweet little bonus. After the booking process is complete, you can choose one of two treats; an additional consulting meeting with your coordinator, or our preferred vendor list at no extra charge.

What do you think about that?

In the episode I watched tonight, the planners threw P. Diddy a party themed “The Art of Entertaining.” It didn’t come together so well and I couldn’t help but think that every single party planner watching the show–myself included–wanted to know why they were having such a hard time getting set up for P. Diddy’s guests. There were about ten planners and a staff of caterers. What was the problem?!

Anyway, when the expert planners were talking to the three contestants that were up for dismissal from the show they said something that made me feel so happy and validated. Afrika Lander, Director of Bad Boy Worldwide, said, “It’s all about the client. When they are walking, you should be running. If they are running, you should be sprinting…” I love it! Guests and Clients always notice that we Blush & Bashful girls walk quickly and hustle around on the wedding day. Maybe that is why we would have been greeting Diddy with a smile and a beverage at the door when the limo rolled up, instead of panicking and fighting.

If you need to contact us for any reason, please email me: meg(at)blushandbashfulevents.com, as I’ll be checking email periodically and responding to anything urgent. If you are inquiring about new wedding planning or coordinating services, don’t worry because you’ll have priority.

I will have no access to phone or voicemail while I’m gone, so I’ll return any calls after the 10th of November.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!
Meghann

Ahhhh…I can feel myself relaxing already!

As we discussed in the previous post, we’re all trying to save money these days. I tried to give a few ideas about what to do to save big bucks on your wedding celebration. Now, here’s what NOT to do…

1) Don’t put your wedding on a credit card, unless you have a detailed plan for how you are going to quickly pay it off. The average Chicago wedding costs well over $50,000. That is a HUGE amount of money to put on the plastic without thinking it through.

2) Don’t assume that you’ll get anything from your guests as a gift. Yes, I know this is a taboo subject! But, I’ve seen it time and time again where couples go overboard thinking that they will “make it back” from their guests in cash gifts. Although there is an etiquette rule that tells guests to give a gift that covers the cost of their meal at the reception, most guests have no idea about this rule or how much their meal costs! You’ll be incredibly lucky to get even a quarter of your money “back.”

3) Don’t register for things you don’t need. Yes, the $500 print from Pottery Barn is beautiful and the perfect thing to put over your bed. However, if someone is hugely generous and gives you the $500 print when you really could use something else (like cash), you’ll be kicking yourself later.

4)  Don’t assume that you’ll be able to negotiate with your vendors on their price. Please remember that each of your vendors has to pay the bills, too! If you do try to negotiate, be fair. Ask for things like a small amount of additional time or a free set of prints that doesn’t cut into the vendor’s bottom line as much. Don’t come to them pleading, “I only budgeted $400 for your service. Can you match that?” That can be offensive!

5) Don’t forget to factor in “hidden” costs. Yes, you may be able to afford to rent a venue for $6,000 for your celebration. But, look closely at the contract to see what that cost includes. Often, you are simply renting the space without tables and chairs and often for an amount of time that may be too short for your event. Be sure to ask plenty of questions before signing the contract.

6) Don’t be afraid to back out of your contract. If something happens like job loss or home foreclosure, it is often better to cut your losses and see if you can cancel your elaborate wedding reception. Yes, there will be financial penalties for doing so. However, it’s better to lose $5,000 than to spend $75,000 you don’t have. Keep the date at the church and get married. But, lose the expensive reception. It’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all…

7) Don’t jump into signing a contract that you are uncomfortable with. If the price is too high, but you just love the vendor, think it through! Talk to more vendors and see if there is anyone else who comes close. Talk to that vendor about other options. They may have smaller packages to better suit your needs.

Now that I officially feel like Debbie Downer,  I’ll repeat my message from the previous post. BE SMART about how you spend your wedding budget and you’ll be fine. Be happy! You are marrying your best friend.

Take a look…and then contact us right away!

Biggest Wedding Regrets

Brides reveal their ’shoulda, coulda, woulda’ moments.

By Charli Penn

What bride doesn’t want her wedding day to go exactly as she planned with a minimal amount of drama? The truth is you can plan your heart out, but things may not always work the way you hoped they would. We asked newly married brides to be up-front and honest about their biggest preparation regrets so others could learn from their mistakes. Here’s what they had to say…

“I would have hired a day-of coordinator. It got irritating when people would ask questions like, ‘Where should I put the extra programs?’ after the ceremony.”

Tip: The one thing most brides don’t get on their wedding day is a break. If you want to enjoy individual moments more and deal with questions and disasters less, hiring day-of help should be a high priority on your to-do list. The quality time you’ll gain is well worth the fee.