Every day I drive by an old barn on my way into work.  Each time I drive by the barn all I can think about is how amazing that barn would be for a rustic chic wedding.   The tall Oaks on the side of the barn would be a great area for an outdoor ceremony and the barn itself would be the perfect canvas to combine the rustic and vintage glam styles seen in this inspiration board for a Rustic Chic Wedding out in the country.  This inspiration board is based off my favorite old barn.  Enjoy!

Color Palette

Top row Left to Right: Sign: Go Jump In the Lake, Invitation:Bella Figura, Jewlery: Forever After Images, Chandelier: Project Wedding, Wedding Dress: Bridal Bliss Designs, Bouquet: Martha Stewart Weddings, Bridal Shoes: High Society Bridal

Your Wedding Budget is important and is something that should not be taken lightly.  As a Wedding Planner this is one of the areas that I get the most questions. How do I stay within my budget?  How do I put together a budget? …  Below are five tips to staying within your budget.

1. Before doing anything sit down with your fiancé and all parties contributing to your budget and decide on the overall amount of money that you want to spend on your wedding.  It is important to know how much money you have to spend and who is contributing to your Wedding Budget.

2. Decide on the items that are the most important to you.  So if you have a specific photographer that you want  and you know it is going to cost xx amount of dollars understand that you may need to compromise in some other areas of your budget to afford the photographer you want.

3. Cut your guest list.  I think this is probably the quickest and easiest way to ensure that you stay within your budget and still get all the other items that you want for your special day.  Take a close look at your guest list and decide if you need to have Gary the mail clerk at your office that you have said hi to three times.

4. When deciding the date of your wedding talk with your venue and see if they offer discounts on having the wedding on a Thursday or Friday during off season.  Many times they will give you a discounted rate if you book during an off time.

5. Be up front and honest with your potential vendors about what your budget is.  That way they know what it is  and are not going to propose something that is not within your budget.

Happy Wedding Planning!!

I came across Bando’s and fell in love!   These beautiful head bands area a great alternative to a veil.  They are whimsical and fashion forward.  They would be the perfect accessory for the traditional princess dress or a sleek and simple dress. And the best part about them is that they are reasonably priced.  I hope you enjoy them!

Images from Bando’s

I love when I meet a couple for the first time and I can hear, see and feel their energy, love for each other and their optimistic outlook for the future.  This is exactly how I felt the first time I talked to Mike and Michelle.  They were so in love and excited to get married that is radiated all around them.  They flew in from New York and we had only three days to get their wedding planning done.

The details were simple but elegant.  It was a beautiful Healdsburg fall day, the colors outside were vibrant orange, red, yellow and green.  The sunflowers, lilies and roses mimicked the outside natural color palette inside the barrel room.  The reception was an intimate setting where Mike and Michelle could enjoy the company of their friends and family. .

I don’t think there was a second in the day that Mike or Michelle did not have a huge smile on their face.  Their friends and family were able to come from all over the world to enjoy the beginning of their life together. I was honored to be a part of their wedding planning and their wedding day.

Mike and Michelle thank you for letting me be a part of your special day I thoroughly enjoyed working with you!

Wedding Coordination and Event Design: Creative Events By Ashley, Floral Design: Le Fleuriste, Photography by Lilia Photography, Make Up: Marial at Blush and Bashful, Hair: Sheila at Winc Artistry

I am excited and proud to be a part of the new wedding nonprofit Wish Upon A Wedding.  Below is the official press release.  The launch party is January 28, 2010 at Villa Montalvo from 6:30pm -9:30pm.

Official Press Release
Wish Upon A Wedding is a brand new nonprofit organization, dedicated to granting weddings and civil union ceremonies at destinations across the United States to Couples facing life-threatening illnesses.  The organization will begin accepting applications for Wedding Wishes in mid January 2010.

Founded by wedding planner, Liz Guthrie of San Jose Wedding Consultants, with the hope that no couple should ever be denied the chance to marry the one they love, Wish Upon a Wedding is the only organization of its kind in existence today.

By calling on a regional database of wedding vendors known as “Wish Granters”, the organization will be able to grant five types of weddings (from simple to more elaborate), some in as quickly as 48 hours.  How quickly the services are granted, and how detailed the weddings are, depends upon the Wish Recipient’s health condition.

“Many couples cannot afford to get married, due to overwhelming medical bills, particularly those who have been battling life threatening conditions, sometimes for many years, ” says Guthrie. “Often a person is too sick to even leave their hospital bed, or they may be in hospice care,” explains Guthrie, “If their last wishes include marrying their partner who stood by them through their most difficult times, we want to help make that dream come true. What better way to celebrate love than with their closest friends and family, in one of life’s most significant ceremonies?”

Four chapters will be ready to grant wishes in early 2010, in the following locations: San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Orlando.

Industry leaders who have joined the cause so far, by leading chapters across the country, include renowned wedding planners Sasha Souza (Founding President), Samantha Goldberg, Elisa Delgardio, and Kevin Covey, and author Sharon Naylor.

Official website launches January 15, 2010. For more information visit the Fan Page or follow Wish Upon a Wedding on Twitter.

For questions email info@wishuponawedding.org.

Founding Board of Directors
Liz Guthrie, Founder & Chief Wedding Officer. Owner, San Jose Weddings Producer, SF Wedding Giveaway

Sasha Souza, President.  Owner, Sasha Souza Events.  Events Chair SEARCH Foundation

Corinne Phipps, Vice President.  Owner, Urban Darling

Richard Markel, Marketing Chair.  Founder/President AFWPI

Chrystal Bougon, Medical Outreach Chair, Owner, Bliss Connection, Mentor Hatch Network

Ashley Porta Dicksa, Events Chair.  Owner, Creative Events by Ashley, Bay Area Co-director Association of Bridal Consultants

Amy Frugoli, Co-Volunteer Coordinator.  Owner Twitterpated Weddings. Board member ACPWC

Amy Mendenhall, Treasurer.   Senior Customer Support Scientist at Ingenuity Systems in Redwood City, CA. PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan.

Rhonda Michelle Steward, Secretary.  Owner Cedar and Rose

Michelle Barrionuevo-Mazzini, Fundraising Chair, Owner MB Wedding Design and Events

I saw the Smoore Smoochies and fell in love.  Smoores have come a long way since I was a kid!

Smoore Smoochies are a perfect and fun wedding favor. The Smoore Smoochies come in a variety flavors and can be customized to fit your wedding theme.

Show your guests some love with Smoore Smoochies.

One of the reasons I love my job so much is that no matter what is going on in the world or with the economy people are still falling in love and getting married.  Every couple and wedding that I work on gives me chills.  2009 and was a tough year all the way around for everyone so here is to 2010 being a year to believe in! Thank you to my past, current and future clients for allowing me to believe and I look forward to many many many more years of chills!

I have a confession to make  I am a shoeaholic.  I buy shoes and then try and find an outfit to match the shoes.  So when I found Eidia Lush I couldn’t help but want to shed a tear.

Eidia Lush allows you to custom make your own shoes!  I have been playing around with all the options that they have available and it is amazing and fun to see what you can come up with.  Their patterns are unique and different.

Customizing your shoes is a fun way to add a different flare to your wedding or rehearsal dinner attire! Can you guess which shoe is my custom design?

All photos from www.eidialush.com

I was so honored to be a part of Amanda and Ted’s wedding.  The ceremony was held outdoors at the beautiful Community Congregational Church of Tiburon The day was perfect, the view was amazing and the ceremony was sentimental and did not leave a dry eye in the house.  The reception was held at the Mill Valley Community Center.  Amanda and Ted know how to host a party and this was definitely the party of the year!

Amanda and Ted thank you for letting me be a part of your day!! I enjoyed every second of it!

Wedding Coordination: Creative Events By Ashley, Floral Design: Radeff Design Studios, Photography by Tess Marie Photography, Cakes by Cake Couquette,

Over the past several months I have been working on rebranding Creative Events By Ashley.  I worked with the amazing Leila Khalil and her team at Be Inspired Pr to come up with a new logo and I have to say I absolutely love what they have done for us.  The team at Creative Events By Ashley is now ready to rock and roll with our blogging and bringing you, the reader, some wonderful new content. Enjoy and I can’t wait for what is to come!!