Wedding Workshops

Looking for a great resource on all things wedding? Of course there's Best Day Ever, but there's also a little shop over at Ward Warehouse called the Wedding Cafe. If you've just gotten engaged and are looking for a good place to start, check 'em out. They also offer weekly workshops on pretty much all topics concerned with weddings. The workshops started back in July and run through October, so if you haven't gone to one be sure to check out their workshop schedule below. They are halfway through the series, but they've been kind enough to post videos of the past workshops online.


July 27th     The Beautiful Bride: Hair, Makeup & Fashion Trends
Aug 3rd       The Perfect Wedding Reception: Locations & Venues
Aug 10th     Budget, Planning, & Wedding Timeline: Panel of Experts
Aug 17th     Semiannual Gown Sale
Aug 24th     Floral, Decor & Design Showcase
Aug 31st      Picture Perfect Photography Showcase
Sept 7th       It's All About the Details: Invitations, Favors & Special Touches
Sept 14th     Videography Showcase
Sept 21st     Wedding Music & Entertainment
Sept 28th     Cake & Catering Trends
Oct 5th        Groom's Workshop & Bride's Workshop
Oct 12th      Timeline Workshop

Should you get a Wedding Planner?

So you just got engaged and you're wondering if you should get a wedding planner? Wedding planners can be expensive, and you've always been very organized & exceptional at planning parties.  Your thinking maybe you could save a few dollars by being your own wedding planner.  

Although, the budget may be tight, a wedding planner is not something you should skip out on. Heres three reasons why you should consider handing the duties over to a professional. 

1. Troubleshooting - Professional Wedding Planners have the ability to fix anything, anytime, anyplace. They have infinite knowledge and experience in all things that have to do with events and weddings. If something comes up, they'll know just how to deal with it, quickly and efficiently. 

2. Emergency Kits - Professional Wedding Planners carry with them emergency kits that cover, assist and can fix any situation.  From tiptoes, toilet paper covers, safety pins and stain remover to good ol' bobby pins. If theres something that goes wrong, trust me, they've got something in their emergency kit that can fix it. These are things that you may not be prepared for, and do not want to stress yourself with on your wedding day.

3. Secret Cell Phone Numbers - What if the tent guy doesn't show up? Or the DJ? Professional Wedding Planners have a cell phone full of contacts. They know who to call just incase one of your vendors does not show up. And if that person falls through, they have a back up for their back up. You cannot put a price on their connections. 

Professional Wedding Planners help to make your special day run smoothly, they take care of all the details and mishaps so that your day appears flawless.  There is no price on peace of mind. Without question, it is worth every penny to get a professional Wedding Planner.  The sooner you get one, the quicker they can save you money too, so set up an appointment with a trusted Wedding Planner today! 

7 Tips to Save Money on your Wedding

Weddings can be very expensive and before you know it the wedding budget you had initially decided upon has doubled (or tripled!).  Professional Wedding Planners can offer advice to help you cut corners and save you tons of money. Here are seven simple tips that can help you save money on your wedding.

1. Hire a Wedding Planner Early. Let him or her negotiate with your vendors to get you the best prices.  They have inside connections to the cheapest (and best) caterers, deejays, venues, etc. Tell your wedding planner your budget and watch how they can help you stick to it.

2. Monitor your Guest List. Invite only your closest friends and family. A simple rule to follow is to only give +1's to your single friends who have been dating their significant other for at least a year, and whom you have met. 

3. Don't allow children. Although this may not be for every couple, a simple way to cut costs is to have an "adult only" wedding. Often children can account for 25-30 percent of the guest list and cutting them out can be a huge savings!  This may also allow for your friends who have kids to finally get a sitter and have a fun night out without the kids.

4. Linens. Ever consider ordering your table linens on E-Bay or Amazon? Wedding linens can be very expensive to rent. Most of us don't realize that rental prices can range from $15 - $80 per table! Often you can find great deals for large quantities of table linens and napkins online, tablecloths starting at just $7 a tablecloth. What a savings!

5. Do-It-Yourself. There are tons of DIY wedding blogs. Check a few of them out and start creating one of a kind decorations early. You can save a lot of money creating your own centerpieces, name tags and menus. Plus, your guests will be so impressed at how personalized your wedding is.

6. Get Stuff for Free. You'd be surprised how many things you can get for free. Try posting an ad on Craigslist for a videographer or photographer. There are lots of college students majoring in film or photography who need experience and would be willing to do your shoot for free in order to build their portfolio. Journalists are another great contact for free or cheap photo shoots. 

7. Do Your Research. Spend a lot of time researching vendors. Compare your local vendors with ordering items on the internet. Choose the cheapest options. Saving $10 here and $100 there will add up.

There are tons of other ways to keep the budget down.  Don't buy the first things you see and make sure to take the time to shop around. There is always someone willing to do it for cheaper. Remember this is just one day, and though it is the one day you've been looking forward to your whole live, you don't want to go broke over it. Come up with a budget and stick to it. You don't want to be paying off this wedding for years to come. Your guests are there to celebrate the two of you and trust me, they won't know the difference if your tablecloths are floor length or only 15 inches.

A Kalalau Engagement

Is it weird that I'm posting pictures of myself on our blog?  I don't care, I love "L O V E" love them.. Hope you will enjoy too.  Here's Kenji & my engagement shoot.  To make the story even cuter - we got engaged in this very spot just a few months prior to the shoot.  It's our absolute favorite place. It's a 12 mile hike in, and out.. so hiking in make-up and getting pretty for the shoot wasn't easy, but Shinji did an amazing job! More on our photographer (my fiances brother) to come....

Mr. & Mrs. Personalized Silverware

Loving these personalized forks for the bride & groom.  Wouldn't it be cool to have your first meal as husband and wife with these? Found in the Beach House Living section of this Etsy seller, these hand stamped vintage forks can be purchased for $26.00. Not bad considering every time you use them from that day forward they will remind you of your special day. They could also be a great bridal or wedding gift!

Cousin Kathy vs the Wedding Planner

Now that the big rock has been slipped onto it's rightful nesting place, bring on the daunting process of planning your best day ever. If the guys think that finally now they've gone down on one knee and the question has been popped, they can relax a little without the pressure and stress of getting the proposal just right. Think again! Wedding planning as opposed to planning the perfect proposal is a whole another ballgame. The ante has been raised, no longer are you just dealing with the perfect setting, timing, the perfect bling or the sweetest declaration of love that will melt her heart and bring her to tears, now you have to consider the perfect venue, great food, entertainment, decor, seating charts, party favors, a registry, vendor appointments, food tasting, fittings, gown shopping, floral selections, guest lists, timelines, deadlines...the list goes on. While it's very tempting to just have cousin Kathy plan and coordinate your wedding, unless cousin Kathy is a professional, you may still be in over your heads. Here are a few things to consider when wavering between hiring a professional or cousin Kathy.

It's what they do for a living. Planning a wedding is very time-consuming. If you're doing it on your own, it may even feel like a second job. There are calls to be made, meetings to plan, vendors to research. A wedding planner acts much like a matchmaker between the engaged couple and the various vendors. They know which vendor would be most suitable for their client. Cousin Kathy would still have to "shop around" for information what is already part of a wedding planner's expertise.

Wedding planners are extremely organized, down to itty bitty details. With all that is involved with planning the best day ever, every detail has it's place. One must remain abreast with all developments, tasks pending, deadlines and timelines. They know who to call, when to call, and when things need to get done. Without organization, you're more likely to go over budget, overlook certain details, and end up with a wedding day short of being the best day ever.

So let's say you ended up having cousin Kathy plan and coordinate your wedding. On the day of your wedding the dj was a no show, now what? With cousin Kathy running the show, you'll most likely end up with a wedding reception with no dj. On the other hand, a wedding planner would be able to quickly troubleshoot the situation, make a few phone calls, pull some strings and hopefully get a replacement to work your reception. Wedding planners have a developed relationship with the vendors that they'd more likely be able to call in favors.

Planning a wedding entails a lot more than the less experienced may realize. Some things are better left to the professionals. 

Getting Your Groom Involved in the Wedding Planning Process

Just get engaged and find yourself head deep in wedding planning? It is not uncommon for the bride to take on all the wedding planning tasks, leaving little for the groom to do. Perhaps it is because you don't want to burden him or because you know he just really doesn't care. Or maybe you think if you involve him he'll just get annoyed at all the frills of one silly day. Whatever it may be - maybe it is time you started giving this a second thought.

It may sound silly, but a lot of men are worried that they'll just get in the way and express an opinion you won't like. Although that may be true, try your best to be open to his ideas. Take them with a grain of salt and be thankful he's open to being a part of this process. I'm sure if it were up to him you'd have a small wedding and go on an extravagant trip afterwards, but this day is for you.. and he knows that.

So try speaking to him honestly, tell him what your big picture is and explain why it's important to you. Most guys will get motivated just knowing they are making you happy. It's important to ask his opinion, you may be surprised at the good ideas he does have.  After all, he is going through the emotional journey of committing himself you to you for the rest of his life, he might also have an opinion of how that commitment is expressed on your special day.

Perhaps, leave out the frilly stuff, like what store the bridesmaids dresses dresses are from and how cute the one sleeve dresses are that you found for oh so cheap at Forever 21, or how the bouquets cascade down in wonderful aquas and teals or how your the jewelry matches perfectly with the jewels on your new heels, as these are things you know he probably has no interest in, nor can he really offer you any good advice. Do ask his opinion on the food, the booze, the speeches, the music, the entertainment and the honeymoon. Those are fun things you can both plan together.


Once he's on board give him some tasks. Men love clearly defined tasks. Have him do things you know he'd be good at like building the archway or wedding signs, figuring out the table layout or deciding on the beer of choice and ordering the keg. It will be fun for the both of you to take part in this process together and leaving a few key tasks on his shoulders will take a load of stress off of yours. 

Lastly, don't underestimate your guy, or even worse ignore him. To your surprise, many men don't mind discussing what color the wedding tablecloths will be, or how you are going to wear your hair. It makes him excited to see you get excited, so why not start getting him involved? 

How to Create a Basic Timeline

Too much to do but don't know where to start? Best way to tackle this dilemma is to create a basic timeline. For the purposes to illustrating an example, we'll make one for a wedding.

Step 1 - Determine your finish line and work backwards. In the case of a wedding, your Best Day Ever will serve as the finish line and from there you'll set up key events and task check points leading up to your wedding day. Bachelor/bachelorette parties, a wedding shower, bridal shower, engagement party, rehearsal dinner are your key events and check points are when individual tasks need to be completed.

Step 2 - Create a task list. This task list involves every little detail, every little project. Everything from creating party favors to picking a song list to setting up meetings with vendors, making phone calls, sending out invitations, creating an event layout, and so on. Keep in mind that this task list is continually changing throughout the whole planning process. As tasks are added, the list grows and as tasks get completed, the list shrinks.

Step 3 - Prioritize task list. Figure out which tasks take a long time to complete and which ones can be done in your sleep. Give yourself ample time to complete the tasks that require more attention and involvement.

Step 4 - Delegate, delegate, delegate. As much as we would like to think of ourselves as being a superhero with the ability to conquer all tasks by our lonesome, just remember, even superheroes have sidekicks. And what's better than one sidekick? As many sidekicks as you can trust to carry out your task list. Don't be afraid to ask for help, believe me, licking 200 envelopes is not fun.

Step 5 - Synchronize your task list and timeline. Input all your tasks into your timeline. Nothing is easier than being able to turn to a certain date to see which tasks need to be tackled. It's also a great way to see if you're falling behind or if you're all caught up.

Step 6 - Execute. Once you have a better layout of what needs to get done and by when, jump in and execute. You'll feel better with every box that gets checked. Also, be realistic. If you find that a certain task is taking a little longer than expected, take a short break to complete other quick tasks to get your momentum going and then jump back on the more time consuming tasks.

Creating a basic timeline and task list is a great way to get things done. You'll feel less stressed and more accomplished while planning your best day ever.

Personalized Wine Labels

Ever considered getting personalized wine labels for your wedding? You could use them at the actual ceremony for the bar, as table number settings or as guest gifts. What a great way to make an impression!