Blog
Queen of Hearts Blog
Wedding Trends for 2012
Happy New Year!
We’re guessing that many of you reading this are recently engaged, Congratulations!
You’re probably coming here for sage advice, some majorly out of the box revelation – and the truth about 2012 is that it’s all about you, your appreciation of your guests and NOT doing the same thing that you saw your friends doing last year…
I know that sounds counterproductive coming from wedding planner, but really – it’s all about things reflecting you….
And NOTHING people are claiming is “NEW for 2012” is anything we haven’t done already!
- White weddings are in! OK? White weddings are always in… they are elegant, romantic and beautiful when paired with crystal, platinum or silver accents. You just need to decide if a White Wedding fits your personality…
- Return to Glamor! Again, vintage, 1930’s black and white rarely goes out of fashion – beautiful accents of art deco, black and white checked dance floor, vintage touches and some feathers –again details that reflect you…
- Black Wedding Gowns! Really Vera? Trend setter Vera Wang is showcasing BLACK wedding gowns at bridal market and made a big splash – I’m sure there are some ‘Goth’ girls who are jumping for joy….however I’m not sure where the mass appeal of this gown is. Black accents, ya we get it….black gowns, not so much.
- Pantone #17-1463 – Tangerine Tango – definitely a BOLD color for weddings, depending on your bridesmaids coloring and the time of year ( probably not a Halloween color) you may see this in bridesmaids dresses…chances are you’ll probably see it as an accent for a pop of color when paired with shades of purple or Cobalt blue.
- Prosecco is HOT – Slightly sweeter than its French cousin Champagne we’ve got couples using it for Toasts, a Wine Bar {In a BIG carved ice bowl} and as gifts in guests’ “Welcome Bags” - we’re loving this!
- Local fun and funky food - food from your favorite restaurant or celebrity chef will remain hot, as well fresh, local seasonal foods. Fun things like Food Trucks or things guests can see being prepared in front of the (action stations) will remain hot.
- Desserts and a ‘Good Night Kiss’ will get bigger than ever…. While wedding cakes will remain a MAJOR focus of every wedding – other desserts will remain in the spot light.
- Butler Passed Desserts(finger food while your guests remain on the dance floor) will continue to grow in popularity as guests can stay on the dance floor!
- Cupcakes, cookie bars and candy bars are here for at least one more season – putting a personal twist on these will be the key. Favorite flavors, family recipes and displays incorporating personal touches will be what make it yours.
- Good Night Kiss – is a small snack or beverage as guests are leaving your wedding….Hot cocoa, cookies and milk, Philly soft pretzels – the sky’s the limit. Fun and reflective of you are what makes this the last impression of your wedding.
- Photos booths are here to stay – guests love having fun – fun twists on the original, fun props or multiple copies they can put into a guest book for you and your fiancé make it memorable.
So, as you see 2012 is bringing no earth shattering trends….
In 2012, a ‘return to elegance and simplicity’ will be the motto – Will and Kate’s royal wedding while in amazing, historic and opulent locations was somewhat understated….
While Kim K’s over the top wedding and short lived marriage seems to have caused brides to take a ‘U Turn” back to Simple and Elegant.
We’ve been preaching “Make your wedding a reflection of you” for some time now. Our job as planners is to get to you know each of our couples and to help draw out their personalities in their weddings.
What wedding trends can we help you set in 2012?
.
Looking back at an AMAZING 2011 –
We have been looking forward to 2012 for quite some time, however we are already working with couples well into the fall of the year…
During this last week of the year we like to pause and look back at the year, our accomplishments and of course things we might do better or should look at offering our couples in the New Year…
2011 has truly been an AMAZING year for the Queen of Hearts team…
On a snowy cold January night, wedding professionals from across the greater Philadelphia region came together at the Top of the Tower to launch the Philadelphia chapter of Wish Upon A Wedding –
A non-profit organization (only a year old at the time) which grants wedding wishes to terminally ill individuals and those in life altering situation. I’m honored to be the chapter’s Founding President, to have Rebecca serve as our Media Chair and to have Kristin involved on our events committee. To date we have granted wedding wishes for two couples and look forward to being able to grant more wishes in 2012.
March was exciting as our own Rebecca and her fiancé Dan were married in a beautiful ceremony at Knowelton Mansion… after sending her down the aisle, I was able to sit back and let one of our amazing assistants Renee run the show… {Yes, even wedding planners know you need someone to oversee the wedding day!}
(photo by laura Eaton Photography)
April brought another AMAZING Let Them Eat Cake event for City of Hope – started in memory of my mother Lois, this event brings together dozens of the region’s best pastry artists as well as culinary students in a fun competition raising money for breast cancer research {this year’s event will be April 2nd at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel}
Throughout the rest of the year we worked with more amazing couples than ever before – beautiful, detailed and personal weddings…lots of multicultural weddings as well as some which were friends of former clients….
Dena and Avi’s wedding brought together three of her bridesmaids whose weddings we had also coordinated.
We loved Sarah and Rocky’s wedding at the National Constitution Center where we had Kirah and Kyle {whose wedding we previously planned} as well as Maggie and Joe whose wedding we are currently planning for March.
(photo by Alison Conklin Photography)
While all of our couples are unique and special, Rebecca had the honor of working with Baltimore Raven’s Quarterback Joe Flacco and his beautiful bride Dana – this very detailed, personal wedding was so much fun and when photographer Jason Prezant was able to release some images his website crashed with 1.4 million hits the first night.
This year our advice and couple’s weddings were featured in Philadelphia Wedding Magazine, Brides Philadelphia and The Knot along with Brides Café and Style Me Pretty…
Once again brides voted us top in the Philadelphia wedding community – on both Wedding Wire and The Knot and the editors of Brides Philadelphia and Philadelphia Weddings voted us as their pick for best in the industry.
We watched our previous couples start families and have beautiful babies… then as fall came our own Karen Peterkin coordinated a couple’s wedding on Saturday and gave birth to her third child Eliza the following Thursday…
We closed out 2011 by announcing our merger with Eventricity, LLC – an AMAZING décor company we work with often… growing our team, offering new couples the availability to work with us on full service design in house with the availability to select linen, lighting, rentals and décor.
We had a pretty AMAZING year, full growth, recognition and relationships with wonderful couples, their families and some of the top wedding professionals in the region…
With all of this going on, we can’t wait to see what 2012 will bring.
Wishing all of you a happy, healthy 2012 – from all of us at The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants and Eventricity!
your recent engagement {part 3}
“What planner is the best fit for me?”
I’m going to start to duck and cover as this part of a discussion always gets heated….
Looking at wedding planners can often turn into a blur – many of the names, websites and services all start to sound the same and run together.
The truth is there are no requirements to call yourself a wedding planner – if you had ‘fun’ planning your own wedding and wanted a career change, lost your job or needed a hobby…wedding planner became the new ‘fun’ thing.
There are TONS more wedding planners then when I started 12 years ago – movies and TV reality shows glorified us (and vilified us) as an industry.
Anyone with a website, blog or social media presence is a wedding planner
There is a planner for every style, taste and budget – and after talking to 1000’s of couples and hearing dozens of horror stories about ‘ya get what ya pay for’ - here is a list of things to look for when interviewing a planner.
- Are they professional – does the website show their work, does it actually say who they are or are the just a ‘WE’, do the showcase weddings of the level you are looking to plan. What does their voice message sound like {hey, leave a message - might not work for you}
- Are they part of any wedding industry associations or do they have any formal training? Continuing education, networking and giving back to the industry are HUGE indicators of business stability and professionalism.
- How many weddings have they done? While everyone has to start somewhere – planning your own wedding, with your money and your ideas is TOTALLY different than working with 5-6 couples and being a partner in their wedding.
- What other life experience do they bring to the party? Finding a well-rounded planner; one who has some background in catering, floral design, entertainment or bridal attire can be a huge help in the planning process.
- Are they listening to you? This is your wedding and your vision, likes and dislikes should always be part of the big picture.
- Do they have people who assist on the wedding day – a solo act makes it tough to stay one step ahead of the action, necessitates a lot of running around and what happens if something goes wrong or they get sick?
- What is their back up plan? Professional planners have friends who are professional planners- while we might technically be ‘ competitors’ but we’re also friends and have each other’s backs in case of emergency.
- Ask the venues you are looking at as well as wedding professionals you may have encountered at bridal shows or friends weddings….they’ll probably be able to refer people they have worked with who do a great job
Probably one of the biggest factors in finding the right planner for you is the part you can’t quantify…do you click? You will be spending a lot of time together during the planning process – you want to like the person you are working with.
.
…your recent engagement {part 2}
“Do I really need a planner?”
Hiring a professional is ALWAYS a good idea! {We hire professional attorneys, accountants and web designers, because we know our strengths and weaknesses. What we know and what we don't know!}
However, knowing how much help you need and where you are OK with turning over some control is the key part.
No everyone needs or wants Full Service Planning, we find that many of our clients are a) busy professionals with hectic schedules, b) travel out of town frequently for work, c) live out of state or country or d) know what their free time is worth to them and REALLY want life to remain as normal as possible during the planning process.
The biggest obstacle to Full Service Planning is typically: “I don’t want to turn over all the control in my wedding to someone else!”
To those of you who feel that way – WE HEAR YA!
Wedding planning is ALWAYS a partnership! It’s not our wedding…. We know there are some very personal, very emotionally driven decisions and family always plays into the process {for better or for worse}.
We’re here to make the process easier – to narrow down the time you spend searching. We recommend Wedding Professionals based on their availability as well as the 3 P’s {price, product and personality} – we simple do all of the leg work and make recommendations to you of the top 3 picks….you get to make all of the final decisions!
We’re here to offer your ideas and suggestions, to be someone to bounce ideas off and to brainstorm with – you make all of the final decisions.
You may still not be comfortable turning this all over – so Individual Consultations may be just the right brainstorming session for you to ‘ask the expert’ rather than ‘phone a friend’ – it’s a great way to look at the big picture from the beginning, to get some coaching before diving in and possibly making some costly mistakes.
Or, you might have started the planning and hit a road block and need help trying to regroup and reorganize…Individual consultations work for that too
Many people want to do the planning but also know that they want to be a guest at their own wedding { and want mom to be one too} so a Wedding Day Director might be your best option – however, keep in mind that ‘Wedding Day Director’ should start well before the wedding day – NO ONE can jump in on the wedding day and make it all magically come together….we need to reach out to your team and find out who is doing what, when and what your hot button issues are {anyone who tells you differently is lying}.
So there are many options to work with a professional planner to help you through the process {or part of the process}….
Email us or call us at 267-251-7786 to talk about which services might be the best fit for you and your wedding
Finding the right fit for you and your specific needs and situation is HUGE…
.
Congratulations on your recent engagement…
According to statistics, Christmas has more engagement proposals than any other day of the year… and this year with Hanukkah and Christmas falling together, larger still.
So, one would assume that many of you reading our blog for the first time are VERY recently engaged…so, CONGRATULATIONS!
We wanted to share some simple tips with you – we know that most of you have never planned a wedding before and same goes for many of your parents.
So we’ll give you some simple tips to make the process of planning your wedding easier…
- For right now, don’t do anything! I know you’re already here, so you’ve already started the process and it’s just the day after Christmas…. Take some time, get used to saying fiancé and not ‘boyfriend’, spend some time with family and enjoy ringing in the New Year with friends. {many wedding professionals are either working New Year’s or trying to spend some time with family – not hearing back right away will only make you frustrated}.
- There are a few simple things to do BEFORE you start the planning process –
- Work on a rough draft guest list
- Talk to the people who will be contributing financially to the wedding
- Look at your schedules and any other possible weddings of close friends or family coming up in the near future.
Knowing an approximate number of guests will help you to look at reception venues which are of the appropriate size before heading off to look at dozens of the wrong places. Approximately 15-18% of you list will respond NO, slightly higher if you have a lot of family out of or across the country. {Holidays and other random situations may affect numbers as well}
Knowing who is contributing and how much will keep you from selecting a reception venue which may start you out over budget and headed for disaster… {There are some simple formulas to come up with a working budget and prioritizing what is important to you and your fiancé}
Looking at your schedules as well as dates for family and friends already planning a wedding will help you narrow down a time of year for your wedding {and possibly eliminate stepping on toes and creating hurt feelings}.
- DON’T GO GOWN SHOPPING! I know this is hard, as several of you may have already gone gown shopping in anticipation of getting engaged…. There are few things worse than falling in love with a gown which is a) WAY over budget, or b) not appropriate for your ceremony or reception venue {we’ve seen brides getting married in the summer, outside in a heavy beaded gown} AND, many of the new styles shown at wedding markets in the fall will be arriving in local stores late January or early February…
So, this is a good start…..
BREATHE, RELAX and enjoy being engaged….
After you’ve enjoyed this for a while, call {267-251-7786} and make an appointment to talk about your wedding….we’d love to share more tips with you…and see what services might be best suited for your specific situation.
Next up….”Do I really need a wedding planner?” And “Who is the best fit for me?”
.
The GREATEST Story Ever Told
by Mark Kingsdorf, Master Bridal Consultant TM
Is your story!
Despite what you think, we’re not really Wedding Planners or Wedding Designers…we’re actually story tellers…
Our job is to learn about you!
You – as individuals, as a couple and as two families coming together… and to help you express that story to the family and friends attending what is probably the biggest day of your life (thus far).
We learn about your likes, hobbies, favorite foods, favorite article of clothing and also your dislikes, allergies and yes, possible drama….
While documenting your story in photos and film is the tangible part of your day; and when the wedding is over and is hugely important in telling your story to family and friends… every detail from the season, venue and save the date through your choice of colors, food and décor all play a part in telling your story.
We LOVE when people walk away from a couple’s wedding saying how much is a reflection of them as a couple… How it told their story.
We’re a great tool in that process, coming up with a game plan to showcase you – pairing you with the best wedding professionals to tell your story and then managing the process to make each ‘chapter’ of the day come together so the story reads well.
We as a team, are here to help you tell the story of you…
What will your wedding say about you?
Rehearsal Dinner Drama….
One of the more challenging areas of wedding planning is the dreaded ‘Rehearsal Dinner’
Brides and Grooms often dread it because it is one major area they may have to really ‘let go’ – it may be the one big piece the Groom’s family is planning (or traditionally contributing to).
Then it becomes the question of who to invite and where to go…
Here are some GREAT tips to help you through the process.
- Always try to keep the rehearsal dinner a little less formal than the wedding reception – you never what the formality, food or venue to overshadow the wedding reception the next day.
- Yes, it is still appropriate to host a rehearsal dinner (actually more of a welcome dinner) if you are not actually doing a ‘rehearsal’ that night.
- Generally, the guest list is limited to: The bride and groom, parents of the bride and groom, bridal party and their dates/significant others.
- If there are grandparents or other close immediate family they are generally also invited.
- When the extended family list starts to get out of hand it is often appropriate to have the smaller, private rehearsal dinner to allow everyone to get to know each other, give bridal party their gifts … and then a less formal (larger) Meet and Greet ( a dessert party works well, to include everyone else.
- Rehearsal dinner is the perfect time to allow people who would not traditionally get a chance to make a toast at the wedding to speak.
- If you have a lot of people coming in town before the wedding it is NOT necessary to invite EVERYONE to the rehearsal dinner… we love to include some of the couple’s favorite local places to eat, drink, shop or sightsee in their welcome bag to offer them something to do.
Here is a GREAT tip – the Center City District hosts Restaurant Week several times a year… The next one is coming up January 22-27 and January 29- February 3, 2012.
This is the perfect opportunity for couples to check out some wonderful restaurant spaces to possibly host their rehearsal dinner and with 3 Courses for $35 it also makes a great date night
My night with Design*Sponge at Anthropologie
By: Rebecca Richman
I came across this event on Twitter and quickly got a few friends together to go. Design Sponge is one of my favorite blogs to follow they have the cutest DIY projects and great home decorating tips. Creator, Grace Bonney also recently put together a book and is finishing up a book tour that combines crafting, food and incredible spaces. This book signing event was at Anthropologie headquarters down by the Navy Yard and we were going to be making Christmas wreaths so as an Anthro addict, I really couldn't pass it up.
Anthropologies' space is so much fun, if you ever have a chance to see the place get there because it's so full of fun things and is so inspiring. As we walked in they had Christmas trees hanging from the ceiling!
Above: Personal Photo
Grace was there to explain to us how to start our wreaths. You start with a wire form and you basically just layer on the greens. You start with your base greens and just wire them on using floral wire. Start in one spot and just keep turning your wire base and adding on.
Above: Personal photo
Next you layer in your 2nd layer of greenery, here we were using eucalyptus.
Above image used with permission by Courney Apple Photography.
Hard at work with Alicia Nathanson and Sarah McKay, thanks for coming with me girls!
Above: Personal photo
Finally you add in your accent decorative pieces like berries, cotton, and bows. I found that putting together my wreath is very similar to how we plan and design our events. For event planning, we start with a vision and a venue and layer in a photographer, musicians, videographer and florist. For event design we start with a base (a favorite flower, color palette, linen) and layer in centerpieces and lighting and finish it off chargers, chair covers and menu cards.
Above image used with permission by Courney Apple Photography.
All Done!
Above: Personal photo
To top off the night they had hot chocolate (we referred to it as hot chocolate pudding because it was so thick and yummy) and a photo booth to go along with the book signing! P.S. if you're wondering, the book is great. There are tons of fun pictures and tips and projects, it'd make a great holiday gift!
Above: Personal photo
Above image used with permission by Courney Apple Photography.
Queen of Hearts Featured in Philadelphia Weddings Magazine!
We're so excited to share that we've been featured in Philadelphia Weddings Magazine! Check out Rebecca's Appleford Wedding and Mark's "Ask the Experts" column in the Spring/Summer issue hitting newstands on December 12! Here's a sneak peek 
Like Jam On Toast –
Several years ago I was part of a beautiful wedding where the favor was a jar of jam; on the label it had the typical things – the couple’s name and wedding date. But is also had the line…”Like Jam On Toast”
Apparently it was a family thing – where they said the couple went together “Like Jam on Toast” – and they did!
Occasionally in life there are things that just go together like this, we often see it in our couples – they are GREAT individually, but they are BETTER together…
They just make sense together…
Today, we, the team at The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants become part of just this kind of AMAZING pairing.
We are merging with our friend Phyllis Jablonowski and her team at Eventricity!
We are becoming the wedding planning arm of that great group who already provide beautiful wedding and event décor as well as corporate and other social event planning –
Our team remains intact, The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants brand; website and dedication to serving couples planning the biggest day of their lives remain intact!
Our email addresses are the same and so is our office phone number, on occasion someone else might answer your calls to free me up for meetings…you’ll get the same attention to detail as couples have for the past 12 years – NOTHING here is changing for you, our valued clients and colleagues – we’ll STILL be called The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants.
We decided that in order to continue to grow the business, we as a team needed to be able to offer décor, rentals and lighting to our clients – Eventricity was the perfect partner.
The merger is the merger of two teams with a dedication to beautiful events and outstanding customer service; many of the beautiful weddings you’ve seen on our site had décor provided by Eventricity.
I think you’ll find everything we are doing really exciting.
We LOVE doing what we do and look forward to our continued growth as the leader in the Philadelphia wedding planning and design industry!
Recent Comments: