Inspiration Everywhere

I LOVE this fabric. And while I really might order it for new living room curtains, it's gotten me thinking about how inspiration for your special event can come from anywhere and everywhere. Whether you're coordinating a wedding, mitzvah, anniversary, or dinner with friends at home to celebrate a successful break-up (sometimes break-ups deserve a celebration too), pay attention to the world around you in the months or weeks leading up to it. You never know what will strike your fancy and get the design ball rolling. I never thought I'd find such inspiration in the small town of Gastonia, North Carolina!

Don't be afraid to use things for other purposes than those for which they are intended. This fabric is from a fabulous fabric store called Mary Joe's. It's a Waverly pattern, which is typically used in the home. But who says it can't be used for your event? Why not have linens custom made? If you do, you can be sure that almost no other bride will have had the same table linens as you, and sometimes buying fabric and having a seamstress sew linens costs just as much as renting them for $40 or so a pop. What's more, you then get to keep them once the event is over. There's no telling what you could do with them afterwards...perhaps make matching outfits for your 8 children who form a singing group in the Austrian Alps? Ha!

Don't be afraid to get creative just because you think it might be pricey to do so. Gather inspiration everywhere. Travel with a digital camera or snap shots with your phone to keep in your inspiration file. A simple pattern can give you big ideas and help you, your florist, your planner, or your friends to make your event truly your own.

Yours truly,
grace

Who tied this bow???

My mom loves to tell the story of the moment I became a Bridezilla. It happened when she, my sister, and step-mother came over to help me tie bows around the sweets I was to have placed on hotel guests' beds at turn-down time the Friday before my own wedding. "WHO TIED THIS BOW???" I shrieked, as I examined a box of six Krispy Kreme donuts around which, in my estimation, was a less than perfectly tied green and white striped gross grain ribbon.

Fortunately, my mother has a great sense of humor and shot back at me with something witty which got us all laughing. To this day, she will still sometimes feign shock and horror and cry, "WHO TIED THIS BOW???" at full volume, a perfect impersonation of me in my moment of mania. Every time it makes me laugh. And every time it reminds me that in life (and especially in wedding planning), you have got to take yourself less seriously! As a bride, it is so easy to get bogged down with details and to drive yourself crazy making sure that everything is perfect. Believe me, I've been there and I know.

But it is vitally important that you remember these three things: 1. There is no such thing as perfect. 2. No one, and I mean no one, will notice an ill-tied bow other than you. 3. The only thing your wedding guests will remember, even if your linens are starched, the sunset is spectacular over the water as you say your vows, or Justin Timberlake makes a guest appearance with your band, is a stressed out bride.

Take it easy. You owe it to yourself, your guests, and of course, your mother!

Mmmmmm cupcakes.

My inaugural post is in honor of the inauguration (of course!) and of my sister Mary, who has never met a cupcake she didn't like. I think she's even written songs about them. And like many brides over the past 8 years or so, she served them in lieu of a wedding cake at her own fabulous, very uptown-chic wedding at a city club in Manhattan.

Since winter is a wonderful time to pack on a few extra pounds to stay warm, I thought I'd take this opportunity to encourage you to eat more cupcakes. And from a wedding planning point of view, say that I still think that noshing on a cupcake, rather than on a piece of cake, for your first shared meal as husband and wife remains a perfectly en vogue and wonderfully sweet way to celebrate the start of your new life together.

While dessert bars became all the rage at weddings in 2008 as a clever and festive alternative to a plated dessert or wedding cake, why not get back to basics at your winter 2009 wedding and give your guests what they are craving: six delicious bites of heaven wrapped into a perfectly sized package and iced with love (or sometimes buttercream flowers). Here's a photo of some of my favorite cupcakes. No need to get fancy with flavors; chocolate and vanilla are always a hit! These particular ones are displayed geometrically on a simple, white pottery platter. This is a fresh alternative to the cupcake tree.

I wish I could go to Magnolia Bakery right now!