“Cheap” Weddings
I keep running across articles and blog posts talking about cheap weddings, and frankly, it is just beginning to irk me. Listen, I know we’re in a tough economy right now, but do you really want to celebrate the start of your life together ”cheaply”. I don't think it's a helpful way to think about your wedding. Here’s an alternate dictionary definition of “cheap” : “inexpensive because of inferior quality.” So, how about an alternative way of thinking about your wedding-spending money wisely is good, trimming bloated costs is good. Simple, small- yes, they can be beautiful, but please, no “cheap” weddings. Ciao, Gisele...
read moreThinking About Different Kinds of Wedding Receptions- and Incidentally, Saving Money
I've just read a blog post where the author ("capper") questions the logic of some wedding expenditures. Capper quotes couples stating their "need" for butterflies and doves released at their weddings, and asks pointedly, " do these people have a grasp on what life and marriage is all about?" He goes on to talk of costly "full blown" weddings he's heard of resulting in marriages that lasted for very short periods of time, and how little he and his wife spent on their wedding. I must agree that the only wedding I've ever attended where doves were released lasted a very short while. And while I would never recommend the plastic flowers capper and his wife displayed at their wedding for any occasion, I am on somewhat of a mission lately to encourage, shall we say, more creative types of wedding receptions. I devote a section in my E-book ( Help! I Need a Caterer) to discussing wedding receptions other than the now standard (and most costly) Saturday night banquet with cocktail and hors d'oeuvre reception beforehand. What happened to the brunch, lunch, picnic, tea party and other type of receptions I so remember enjoying as a youngster? They still seem much more interesting to me than the dull sit down hotel dinners I get invited to. And as someone who has spent a good bit of her time on this planet not only attending those wedding receptions, but working in both hotels, and now at catering receptions for clients of my own, I find the "out of the hotel banquet box" party far more interesting. So over the next few posts, I'll be sharing some different type of wedding celebrations with you. BTW, you can read cappers entry at: http://cognidissidence.blogspot.com/ Scroll down to "Wedding Bells and...
read moreA Reflection on Wedding Ceremonies
I received an e-newsletter last week from an associate, Deborah LaFranchi of LaFranchi Couture. Deborah wrote her reflections after attending the wedding ceremony of a bride whose gown she had designed. As she ends the essay, she captures perfectly the emotion we, as wedding vendors, experience at being a member of the team which creates those special moments in a client's life. Deborah has given me permission to share her reflection with you. I have pasted it in below. I urge you to visit her Website (www.deborahlafranchi.com) and view her lovely gowns and costumes. Ciao, Giselewww.smallpleasurescatering.comwww.helpineedacaterer.com Marriage: The New Frontier? I was at a wedding not that long ago. Being a bridal gown designer, I had custom made the bride's gown. The church was packed, the flowers were beautiful and the bride looked exquisite as she floated up the aisle. She noticed no one else except her fiance and he seemed so proud of this vision as she approached him. I felt excited for them as they began their new journey. The minister read a beautiful passage from the bible. It stated that two, working together were stronger then one and three, braided together were unbreakable. Tears came to my eyes as the words echoed through my mind. It was true, two people working together with similar goals and dreams had a better chance of making them happen. Their survival rate was better. And once they had children, that made their bond and potential survival even greater. The minister asked the congregation to take responsibility for the couple and help them in good times and bad. We all answered with an enthusiastic "We do!" It was one of the most meaningful weddings I have ever attended. Has our society lost sight of what marriage really means? In this day and age of divorce as the answer to being happy, children born out of wedlock or people just "living together" because they don't need a piece of paper to be committed to each other, it seems marriage has become the new frontier. It seems our society has lost the meaning of marriage. Sure, the day itself is a big production with flowers, costumes and food but isn't it really about taking responsibility for another? Creating the future? It's about surviving better, and when children enter into it, one is making a statement that there will be a future. How will the problems of the world ever be solved if one isn't making sure that children are being raised in loving homes where they see a great example of people working together to help each other survive better? As I sat eating my cake, watching the bride and groom dance in each other's arms, oblivious to anyone else in the room, I knew I had contributed more then just a beautiful gown. I was helping put future generations there. And I hoped that someday, when a grandchild or two looked at pictures of their grandmother on her wedding day, looking so happy, they might just wonder where she got such a beautiful...
read more
