Sneak Peek!

Want a sneak peek at what one of my fall brides selected for her bridesmaids? Well, this is it! Fresh off the runway, the four bridesmaids will be wearing this amazing Vera Wang gown. How stunning is this? The bride selected the gown on the right. When this dress first appeared in the magazines a couple of months ago, I began to drool! I can't wait to see these in person and in all of their glory!

~Jodi

The Kiddos!

Everyone's been asking to see photos of the kiddos lately. So, I'll happily comply! They're the light of my life. How is it that these two little cuties can make me laugh, smile, tear my hair out and cry all in one day! All you mothers know exactly what I'm saying, here!

One of my favorite things to do with the kids is read. Gretchen loves Junie B. Jones books these days. I think we read two per week! I'm convinced that the reason she was reading in Kindergarten was because she's been read to every night since she was born! No lie! Seth loves 'Where's Waldo,' books. Just as my aged eyes are trying to focus in to find Waldo and Wenda, Seth screams, 'Found 'em!' Amazing!

Both of my kids have polar opposite personalities. Gretchen is a very confident child. She's fiercely loyal to her brother and protects him in situations when mom isn't around. She's a total slob in her bedroom (a trait passed on by mom :), loves friends, wants to be busy doing something 24/7, can't get enough of crafts, has an amazing singing voice, loves all kinds of music, and is always up for a new adventure.

Seth is my cuddle bug. If he could bring his two favorite things to school each day it would be his mom and his blankie! Quite often you can find Seth laying his head on top of the kitty, sucking his thumb and closing his eyes. Cutest thing I've ever seen :) Seth is much more shy then Gretchen. He's not quite as confident and leans on Gretchen to 'take-charge' of the situation at hand. They have a wonderful relationship that I will continue to foster and encourage. I think sibling relationships are so important! Don't get me wrong, though, they can have some serious battles that usually come to a screeching halt with words like, 'You two have to the count of three to shape it up or there will be consequences to pay!' Oohh, that sounds an awful lot like something my mom would have said! YIKES, I am turning into her!

So, enough musing about my babies! I love them dearly and would not be the same person without them in my life. Now, it's time to turn in for the night but first, I must do something that I do every night and sneak into their rooms, put their covers back on, kiss their cheeks and tell them that I love them.

~Jodi

Candlelight and Lanterns

I'm a sucker for candlelight! I think it has a calming effect on people and sets the mood for a lovely evening. I continually encourage clients to use candlelight as an inexpensive way to create an inviting atmosphere. Not only that, everything and everyone looks better when they're lit by a tiny flame!

At the August 23rd wedding that we're producing, we'll be using these beautiful lanterns from Pottery Barn to line the pathway to the tented cocktail reception. I was thrilled when I found these because they fit our color palette so perfectly. They will hang from nickle shepherds crooks at varying heights. Because these will be the first decor pieces that guests see after their cars are parked, I wanted something dramatic and different. I think these fit the bill and will set the stage for a spectacular evening!

~Jodi

More Love for Bella Figura

I know, here I go again with my obsession with Bella Figura. But I have to share this exciting news with you! About a month ago, the owner of Bella Figura, the lovely Debbie, contacted me to tell me about a new project they were working on and wondered if I'd be willing to help them. When she explained what they were doing, I jumped at the opportunity to assist.

So, here's the scoop. Bella Figura is so committed to our fragile environment and improving the state of it that they want to do everything they can to help. They already give a percentage of every sale to an environmental cause but wanted to do more. They selected a small group of wedding planners and wedding bloggers (me included!) to curate a sample pack of invitations. What does that mean, you ask? Well, they wanted me to pick five of my favorite invitations from their wedding line. They then will sell those five invitation samples for $10 (but that's only until August 11 because after the 11th the cost will go up $25). Normally, Bella Figura charges $7 per invitation sample so this is a real bargain!

The best news is that 100% of the sale of the packet that I curated will go to the environmental cause of my choice! How cool is that?! I selected American Forests as my charity because I believe in their commitment to planting trees in areas ravaged by wild fire. I also love this cause because my Dad is a Horticulturist and has a special affinity for trees. He shared his love for these things with all of us kids and to this day I'm quite certain I was the only first-grader on the class trip to the nature center who knew what a Quaking Aspen was!

This is what I want to do to help the cause. Post a comment on my blog and I will randomly select someone to receive the sample pack I curated. The deadline to post your comment is Friday, August 8, at 11:00pm EST. To learn more about this program and read about the samples I selected, just click here. There's even a lovely little photo of CEO on their site :)

~Jodi

My A*M*A*Z*I*N*G Sister

My sister's getting married! That's right, she sure is. I'm SO excited for her wedding. My dear, sweet, Kara is just 16 months younger than me. Though I've been married for almost 11 years, Kara has been waiting for Mr. Right for a long time. She's kissed a lot of toads, my sister. I'll spare all of us the pain of recounting them! But, I am so happy to say that her Prince has arrived!

We love, love, love, Kara's fiancee. When I say 'we,' I mean me, CPA, our kiddos and the entire extended clan! He's so sweet and funny and he can handle Kara's mood swings :) For that alone, we love him!

Anyways, I'm in the midst of planning Kara and Jason's November 8, nuptials. In fact, just yesterday morning I ordered her wedding invitations. Oohh, they're beauties! I called Kara and told her she was going to love what I picked out! You read that right, she hasn't even seen the invites yet! I told her I was going to pick them out and she was going to love them :). Crazy as it sounds, Kara didn't receive any of the detail-oriented, creative genes that her sister did. She received some other lovely DNA strands from our parents but the love of details is not one of them. So, it's just better for all involved to leave those decisions up to me and our mom!

I've got a rock-star line-up of vendors for Kara's wedding. And she's going to have a bunch of yummy details, too. Like her hand painted aisle runner. Oh, is it going to be awesome! I think that's the detail she's most excited about. She's also super excited about her chocolate brown pintuck linens, taupe lamour chair covers and ivory cream bichon chair ties and napkins. I'm pretty partial to the moss green hand beaded tulle we're using on the cake table. It's fabulous!

The amazing Jen of Jen Kroll Photography will be shooting Kara's wedding. And her champagne brunch will be held in the Imperial Ballroom at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Her flowers will be provided by the amazingly talented Jenn Ederer of Modern Day Floral. Just wait until you hear what we've planned for the three flower girls. They will all carry purses made out of flowers!

Another great vendor we'll be using is Chocolate Impressions from Detroit. I used this great company at an event last year and their product was a hit! The concept is brilliant. Two people arrive with their digital cameras and 300 milk chocolate lollipops. They then take photos of the guests and print their picture on sugar and adhere it to the chocolate pops. Amazing! I think the wedding guests are going to love this!

Kara, you lucked out with an event planner as a sister! I'm fairly confident you'd still be sitting on the sofa, drinking a cup of tea, and wondering where you should start. You're probably laughing now because you know it's true! I LOVE you, sweet sister. And I'm so honored to be able to plan such a special day for you! I'm beyond excited to be your Matron of Honor because it's truly a place of honor. And hooray for the staff of In Any Event who will be coordinating the wedding so that I can enjoy the day with you!

~Jodi

A Fun Weekend with Family

Yesterday, CPA's (a.k.a. my dear husband, Nathan) brother Kendall, his wife Traci and their kids Ethan and Reagan arrived for little visit on their way back home to Minnesota. We had a GREAT time with them. And I wish they could have stayed longer. Our kids get along so well which makes for very pleasant adult time!

Last night, we decided to throw a little party for Kendall and Traci and invited a slew of college friends over for a BBQ. A lot of the friends hadn't seen my BIL and SIL in a couple of years. It was a gorgeous evening and we had the perfect mix of good food, good friends and good conversation. I believe at one point in the evening, we had 12 kiddos jumping on the trampoline. Serious fun, for sure!

This morning, we went to the Red Geranium for breakfast and then my SIL and I pawned the kiddos off on the husbands and headed over to Talbot Kids to do some serious damage. Well, I guess I did the serious damage and Traci did very minor damage. CPA is beyond thrilled that Talbot Kids is shutting their doors for good come the beginning of September. I, on the other hand, am trying to figure out if I need to seek help for the sadness I feel at the loss of this store!

We were sad to see them leave after lunch today. We can't wait to see them again and wish they lived closer. Thanks for a fun visit, guys! We love you!

~Jodi

PS - The photo above, from left to right, is my niece Reagan and my dear daughter Gretchen. How cute are they!

Ode to the Black Chandelier

And now for another installment of the 'Ode to' series. I didn't decide this was going to be a series until just now. But hey, that's okay because I'm not one to turn away a great idea when the light bulb flickers on!

So, we're working on this fabulous....okay, let me say it again, F*A*B*U*L*O*U*S.....wedding that will take place this fall. I absolutely adore this bride! And the groom just cracks me up with his imitation of her vision for 'timeless elegance.' Truly hilarious stuff! I love it when I can connect with my couples on this level. It makes the planning process so darn much fun and I fall in love with my profession all over again!

Okay, back to today's Ode! Check out the chandelier above! Tell me this is not seriously amazing! This is what we've decided on for the dining area. Several of them, in fact, hanging in all their splendor! I get chills just thinking about it. You know, it's just the simple things that make an event planner happy :) I can't wait to share photos later this fall of all the yummy things we're doing at this event. So, stay tuned!

~Jodi