Life Design Giveaway: Last Day!

Don't forget to stop by Beau-coup and comment on our giveaway post about your 3 favorite products by midnight tonight. Click here to be directed to the post, visit Beau-coup's website, then describe your 3 favorite favors in the comment section.

You could win a $50 gift card!!! Wow!

Thanks again to our fabulous friends at Beau-coup, and to our wonderful readers who have already commented on their favorite products. Your comments were fun to read and I look forward to seeing who wins.

With all that Life has to offer,

Cicely

Black, White, & Bold All Over: Fall Trends

The Valley’s weather may still be hot, but this fall’s trend forecast is even hotter.

Bold patterns of black and white are popping up everywhere you look. Rich colors consisting of plum, navy blue, burnt orange, and metallics of gold, silver, and copper are combined to create the latest fall look. Why not infuse these styles into the décor of your upcoming autumn soiree to add instant glam?

Here are some of my favorite picks for fall

Incorporating patterns of black & white is easy and elegant:

All: (Black and White Delight)

I am loving these invitations:

(Wedding Paper Divas)

An accent of fall color or metallic gold are both the perfect complement to black & white.
Here are a few examples that add an extra "pop":

(Flower Arrangement, Lantern, & Pumpkin Divine Cocktail: Simply Stated

Gold Charger Plate: Tri-Rentals)

Or how about a beautiful chocolate brown paired with gold, beige & white? This table arrangement was created for Kasey + Alan’s wedding last October, and I think their color scheme was absolutely gorgeous.

Not only is this pairing pleasing to the eye, but it was a blast to create:

What trends are you excited about incorporating into your fall event? I’d love to hear!

With all that Life has to offer,
Cicely

What's a good officiant to do?

I love weddings, and I recently had the opportunity to talk to Jerry Law of From This Day Forward…a wedding ministry focused on providing custom written wedding ceremonies to couples that wish to be married by an ordained minister, but who are not currently connected to an established church, or who desire a unique ceremony focused solely on their love and commitment to one another. Jerry has performed hundreds of ceremonies, both within Arizona and around the country. Julie, his wife and business partner, writes each ceremony beginning with a blank piece of paper. They truly believe that a ceremony is actually the product of the bride and groom’s hearts. I recently had the opportunity to ask them, “What qualities should a bride and groom look for in good officiant and where do you find someone?” The following is what Jerry and Julie had to say:

“A good wedding planner is an excellent place to start. Of course the internet and the phone book are filled with the names of ministers and officiants who are want to perform your ceremony, but the best way to know if a person is right for your big day means sitting down with someone to ensure this person reflects the spirit and tone you want created.

It is not always easy to find someone who will pay careful attention to exactly what you want and who also has the ability to conduct your ceremony in a meaningful way. We feel you should consider the following questions when looking for an officiant:

§ Which person can best make our wedding ceremony special and remembered? Will this person write a ceremony specifically and especially for us?

§ Who do we feel comfortable with in working through the process of creating our own unique ceremony? Is this the kind of person who wants to build a relationship that will lead to trust and comfort on your wedding day?

§ Who will put the energy and thought into interpreting our desires and elevating our ceremony into something meaningful, not only for us, but for our guests?

§ Who will allow us to include new and original ideas into our wedding ceremony that are meaningful, and who will allow us to omit the things that just “aren’t us?”

§ Who is personable and enthusiastic about our love?

§ Will this person be the type of officiant who will care about our joys and sorrows even after the wedding?

Very practical considerations should also include:

§ What training does the officiant have? Is their job as officiant something they take very seriously or something they do as backup when not pursuing another career?

§ Do you like the sound of his or her voice? Remember, this is the person who will hopefully inspire, instruct, and delight you and your guests at your ceremony!

§ What are the officiant’s fees? Yes, we realize weddings are expensive, but the words that are spoken at your wedding need to be able to last a lifetime! This is also the time to remember that you paying an officiant for more than the hour to be present at your wedding. Other costs will include working with you to create your ceremony, editing changes to the ceremony as it goes from draft to final version, travel to/from your ceremony site, leading the rehearsal, and as many meetings, phone calls, or emails as you need to feel great about your ceremony.

§ Although it may seem trivial, what will this person wear? Are they flexible enough to wear a tux, a suit, robes, or tropical shirt or anything else that fits the tone of your ceremony?"

For more information about your ceremony, take a look at their website here.

Glass Girls :: A Fun Gift for Any Bridesmaid

A Client of mine recently came across custom painted wine glasses (pictured above) at a local gift shop and called me ecstatic that she found them. She proceeded to hunt down the glass manufacture; Leslie Hand Painted Glass, and contact them about customizing a set to reflect the beautiful faces of her bridesmaids. She added a little touch and had their names added to the bottom of the stem. I thought it was so darling, I just had to share.

Giving gifts to the bridal party is a topic that comes up often. My advice time and time again is to make it about the person you are giving the gift to. I recommend trying to stay away from your wedding colors or any engravings of your wedding date. Think about all the engraved things you personally have held on to. Oh wait, their aren't many. Just because you are crazy about green doesn’t mean she is. Purchasing something that is remonisint of them and not you, will reflect that they were in your thoughts as you carefully picked their gift out; that's more impactful. After all, they have spent money on a dress they probably won't wear again, many times paying for hair, make up, mani-es and pedi-es, and often travel and accommodation expenses. Show them that you are truly grateful that they are apart of your wedding day. What I like to tell my Brides is to take some time to write each attendant a letter of why they are so important in your life, the impact they have had on you, how excited you feel that they are in you bridal party and write how thankful you are to have them in your life. Your thoughts shared are so much more priceless.

With all that Life has to offer,

Cicely

Tips from Event Planner, Cicely Rocha-Miller

Photo Courtesy of Cheswick Photography

Throughout the years we have been a part of countless weddings and galas and have seen and experienced just about everything imaginable. Here is a small list of tidbits that I have picked up and would like to share.

_ See Each Other First + Unless you are completely bound to not seeing each other before the ceremony, really think about taking a good 45 minutes beforehand to see each other first. It will help with the jitters and anxiety and will give you a chance to talk to each other about the excitement of the day so far. It also gives your photographer an opportunity to take some amazing shots with natural lighting which gives a higher quality photo. Trust me, you will still have the butterflies walking down the aisle and your partner will still be completely blown away by your beauty.

_ Spend time alone + After the ceremony, walk down the aisle hand in hand into a private room for just a few minutes to catch your breath and thrive on the fact that the two of you are now legally bound and forever committed. It was quite a ceremony, big or small, and you need time to really revel in it. Once you step out to greet your guests, the party begins and the day will fly by.

_ Entertaining is not just about Music + Think about another specific activity your guests can be apart of at your wedding. Not everyone will dance the night away and it's just sad to see so many people sitting at the reception tables who appeared to be bored. Maybe they are unsure about their dancing so why not hire a ballroom dance teacher, or maybe rent a photo booth so your guests can take endless silly pictures of themselves. Try a cognac and cigar bar with a lounge area for those guests that want to step away. The key is giving them the option to do so. Dinner and dancing just doesn't cut it anymore.

_ Hire a Planner + Every client that I deal with has no idea what they are about to get themselves into, rightfully so. The wedding industry is a billion dollar industry so I highly advise you to have a professional advocate that will assist and be your guide through this ever so stressful process. Do your homework and check out his or her credentials and experience, check references, and most of all make sure you like their personality. This person needs to be someone you can see having a very close relationship with for several months, if not years, while planning this magnificent event. It is important that you and your planner communicate well to create the vision that you have for your event.

You can do this one!

I am the first to say that I am not typically a fan of using balloons at any event but if done right balloons can bring a lot of pizazz and fun to an event. If you are a crafty person and want to really get involved with your party decor here is a very cute idea for any type of fun event. Switch up the colors and patterns and the possibilities are endless. Thanks to Ribbons Galore for supplying this fantastic idea. Created by Fiona Carter

Step 1- Paint a pot. For our decorations, I painted terracotta pots with black acrylic paint.

Step 2- Cut a length of ribbon to wrap around the pot AND have excess to form the bows. Add polka dot grosgrain around the rim of the pot. Use double-sided tape to stick the ribbon to the pot.

Step 3- Tie a knot to secure the grosgrain. Fold the excess lengths to form "bows". Secure with double-sided tape again.



Step 4- Use double-sided tape again to hold extra lengths of ribbon wrapped around the body of the pot. Tie ends into small knots.

Step 5- Add florist oasis to the pot. This will hold the balloon arrangement in place.

Step 6- Blow up the balloons and arrange. Add additional lengths of matching ribbon to hang from the balloons.

Step 7- Stick the stem of the balloon arrangement into the oasis.

Step 8- Use tissue paper to cover the top of the pot (and cover the oasis).

Finished!

If anyone attempts to try this project please send me pictures. I would love to post them and share with the rest of my readers.

All that Life has to offer, Cicely

How much should I buy?

When throwing a party that is serving alcohol this seems to be the number one question across the board...How much and what should I buy? You can always call our friend Dave Foreman of Pourmasters where they have bars, bartenders &/ or a delivery supply service for your party, but if for some reason you take on this task yourself then check out this handy dandy calculator. It's on that fun little website that we all like to use when planning an informal gathering: evite. This calculator helps with a list of items to buy depending on the number of hours you plan on serving and the weight of heavy vs. light drinkers at your party. I haven't had the chance to use it yet but will as soon as I get the chance so I will let you know how it goes. If you use it yourself please let us know your feedback. We want to endorse things that work. Thanks to all and have fun at your next party!

The shortest distance to a straight smile

I have a passion for this subject because I smile all the time and having straight teeth was and is so important to me. About 5 years ago I decided to get braces. As much as I love my teeth now that the braces are off, wearing them for four years as an adult, professional and an entertainer, I hated being a "metal mouth". I recently went to visit my orthodontist Dr. Joe Pearson (remember to wear your retainer) for a check up and he told me of this new technology called SureSmile. He basically said they are going to try to market it the the brides & grooms for their special day because they can cut the wear of braces in half! He said it's an amazing new wire and it can make a big difference to your wedding day pictures to have that big beautiful straight smile that you always wanted but in only half the time. How cool would it be to have a perfect smile in 6 months! Of course it all depends on the complexity of your case but it could happen. So you might be thinking...it's gotta be double the cost of regular braces...it's not...as a matter of fact Dr. Pearson says its about the same. So if you are interested in learning more about the shortest distance to a straight smile...Call Dr. Pearson!

It All Washes Out

A photographer friend of mine, Damian Serafine of Serafine Photography sent me this picture with this thoughts and I just had to share. Great Picture Damian!

"The most important thing a bride can remember on her wedding day....Have fun! Everything comes out in the wash...But love and memories last forever."