Time or Money

A couple weeks ago, my parents were over and my dad started grilling me:

Dad: Are you going to teach Miles how to fish?
Me: NO.
Dad: Why not?
Me: I hate fishing.
Dad: He should learn to fish.
Me: Teach him to fish yourself, if you want to so bad.
Mom: Your dad just wishes he had taught you kids to fish.

After this, I started teasing them about the other things they could have wished (like, they could have wished they'd bought me a car, for example), and my mom said "We don't wish any material things for you kids."

Growing up, we weren't living in a cardboard box, but our little mobile home was pretty modest.  When I was really young, my dad worked more than one job while finishing his high school diploma.  My dad ended up with a good job, but there was still not money to have lots of "things."  And now, 20-something years after I was born, my parents don't wish they'd bought us more stuff.  They wish they'd spent more time with us, teaching us things like fishing.  I, however, think they spent plenty of time with us - we played football in the yard nearly every summer evening, and card games all winter.  And I could only take so many family "sock sorting" nights (oh yes, that is what it sounds like - an evening devoted to sorting socks).

That's what I was thinking about this evening while I tucked my two year old into bed.  He was sitting cross-legged on the mattress, strumming his broom like a guitar, while we sang He's Got the Whole World in His Hands over and over.  There's two songs that we sing every night: Whole World, and the ABC's.  Miles likes these songs, but he has one absolute favourite song, which I never sing.  It is called Co-co-ua-ua, and it's a Spanish song about a crying chicken.  When he requests it, I politely decline and speed up the tucking-in process.

Tonight, however, we sang co-co-ua-ua over and over and over.  In 20-something years, when Miles is my age, I won't wish that I had rushed back to my computer and written a proposal quicker so that I would sign a contract and be able to buy him more stuff.  In fact, I can't think of a single thing I'd like to buy for him.  Instead, like my parents, I'll be wishing I'd spent more time with him, even if it means singing about a crying chicken in a language I don't understand.

DIY Wedding

Crafty brides and those with tight budgets are turning to Do It Yourself projects when it comes to wedding preparation.  Small items like favours are often designed and assembled by the bride but larger-scale DIY elements are becoming more and more popular.  Being hands-on with your wedding planning can make your wedding even more special because you have spent so much of your own time and energy on preparing.  If you have the time and creativity, most parts of a wedding can be made DIY following these simple tips:                       
Be flexible:  You will encounter surprises, and as long as you can deal with the thought that your project may not go exactly as you plan, you are on the right track!  If you do not have a plan B, do not take on a DIY project.  For example, if you are planning to use flowers from your garden in an arrangement and they do not bloom in time, you will be running to the florist for flowers.  If you have a specific image in your mind of what your flowers, your cake, and your venue should look like; hire a professional to make absolute sure that your vision can be carried out.                      

Manage the logistics:  Little things that you will not think of will definitely pop up in every situation.  If you are creating your own invitations, make sure you can purchase envelopes that fit them properly.  If you are having a backyard wedding, you will need to think of things like permits, rain accommodations and electrical outlets.  Doing your own catering may require a food handler’s certificate.  Consider a consultation with a wedding coordinator to make sure your bases are covered.                      

Time management:  Do not pile on too many DIY projects for the day before the wedding.  Putting together flower arrangements, baking your own cake and decorating the venue will make for a very full (and possibly frustrating) day.  However, a few DIY projects that you can take on well ahead of the wedding won’t seem so overwhelming.                      

Assess the cost:  Sometimes a DIY project will save you hundreds of dollars, sometimes it will save fifty dollars, and sometimes it will cost more than hiring a professional that has all of the equipment and efficiency to complete your project.  Add up the numbers to make sure it’s worth your time and money before you start your project.                      

Skill:  A natural ability is important.  If you’ve never baked before and you want to make your wedding cake, either get in the kitchen and start practicing or call someone to help you out!  Practice ahead of time to ensure that things will go as planned.  And all the better if you have experience in a related field – if you are a graphic artist designing your own invitations or a restaurant manager planning your catering!                      

Do what you love: Don’t try to do an entirely DIY wedding – see above points on time management, logistics and skill – there is probably not enough time and you are probably not skilled at every element of wedding design.  Pick the projects that you want to work on yourself, that you will enjoy working on yourself, and delegate everything else by hiring companies or enlisting friends and family to help.                      

Know when to call in the professionals:  Some things you simply shouldn’t do yourself.  Photographers and videographers come with high quality equipment and experience to capture moments that your cousin with a camera may not be able to.  If you are catering your own meal or having the wedding at home, consider hiring help so that your family can relax and enjoy the wedding day instead of running around taking care of details. 

With a Flourish Wednesday Inspiration

I'm sitting here trying to write a blog post, but I keep wandering off...today is the day that wedding photos from Jessica Claire are hitting the internet, and it is the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen. Jessica is a photographer in Orange County, CA, and I've followed here blog for about the past year. If you are getting married or just like pretty things, check out her wedding photos:

On Jessica Claire's blog, at Style Me Pretty, and on her wedding coordinator, Events of Love and Splendor's blog. Her photos were taken by the super talented Jose Villa.

Happy Wednesday!

Featured Wedding Vendor: Pulp DIY Invitations

I've been trying to write this post for months, but there has been so much change going on over at Pulp & Circumstance, every time I start writing, something new happens that makes me start over again!  Here's what I have:

For 10 years, Yoko Chapman has been a trendsetter in Winnipeg's wedding industry.  Her wedding invitation studio, Pulp & Circumstance, started off designing beautiful wedding invitations.  Then, she began creating eco-friendly invitations, called Greenvites.  These pieces were made from 100% Post Consumer Waste paper, and were sold in Winnipeg and around the world through her online shop.  Next, Yoko designed a line of eco-friendly stationery for Wedvert, a leading eco-friendly wedding resource.  This line, called Vert Yoko Chapman received a fantastic response at the National Stationery Show in June 2009, and appeared on trendy wedding blogs such as Style Me Pretty.  It features the first zero carbon footprint wedding invitation line and is now carried at invitation studios across the continent.

Yoko has changed her business with the times, and remains on top of industry trends, while maintaining her classic, beautiful style.  Now, she has introduced a product for the Winnipeg market, called Pulp DIY Invitations.  Yoko is still available to design custom invitations, but she also carries supplies and ideas to help you make your own DIY invitations.  If you are a crafty person, or trying to save a bit of money, the DIY route is the way to go.  Make an appointment and stop by the studio at 268 B Tache Ave in Winnipeg.  Yoko can provide you with her expertise and ideas and then send you on your way to craft your wedding invitations!

I do love the stationery that Yoko creates, but I'm also a huge fan of her as a person!  She has been incredibly supportive of me, and of With a Flourish.  Almost every press opportunity that With a Flourish has had in the past year has been thanks to her, and a huge project that I am working on right now would not be happening without her encouragement.  Seriously, there is not a more helpful and knowledgeable person that you could work with on any aspect of your wedding planning.

With a Flourish 'Green Wedding' Article

This is an article I wrote several months ago, on little things you can do to make your wedding a little greener:

No doubt you’ve noticed that green weddings are growing in popularity.  Maybe you’ve jumped on board wholeheartedly, maybe you’re considering a few eco-elements, and maybe you think all of us “eco-wedding vendors” are a little bit nutty.  The truth is, the idea behind green weddings is simple.  Many of us in the wedding industry have seen (and often been) people who recycle, who eat organically, who shop for gifts at local stores, yet also throw away 10 pounds of recyclable stationery at our weddings, feed our guests processed foods and give away sweatshop-produced favours.  Frustration with the status quo and a desire to make weddings better for our world and a more true reflection of the couple getting married has led wedding vendors all over to establish more sustainable practices.  Eco-friendly weddings are becoming more practical, more elegant, and more common.

A sustainable wedding can be achieved by anyone and it doesn’t even have to cost you more money.  Often couples can hold a green wedding for less cash and a little more creativity.  Most of the following ideas don’t take that much extra time and the result will go a long way.  Here is a list of a few things you could do in each area of wedding planning to make it a little more earth-friendly:

Dress:
-Alter a second-hand wedding dress, or your mother’s dress.
-Buy vintage.
-Look for organic silk, hemp, or bamboo materials.
-Have your dress sewn locally.
-Ensure that the company that sews the dress pays their workers fair wages and promotes healthy working conditions.

Stationery:
-Use tree free or 100% post consumer waste paper.
-Eliminate the need for an RSVP card by putting the RSVP information directly on the invitation and having guests respond by phone or email.
-Send bridal shower and bachelorette party invitations by email.

Flowers:
-Grow your own! If you can’t grow everything you’d like in your bouquet, grow one or two kinds of flowers and purchase the rest at a florist.
-For centerpieces, consider potted flowers or grass – honoured guests or family members can take the pots home at the end of the night.

Photography:
-Ask your photographer to use only digital.
-Choose your favourite pictures from an online gallery. Have only your favourites printed.

Décor:
-Rent decorations instead of purchasing decorations that you won’t use again.
-Search out the homes of friends and family members for items that can be used for décor.
-Use soy candles instead of paraffin. Soy candles are made out of natural ingredients and can burn for up to 7 hours.

Transportation:
-Have the maximum number of people allowed ride in the limo or bus.
-Take public transportation – you’d get great pictures!
-Encourage guests to carpool by letting them know who lives in their area so they can catch a ride together.

Location:
-Have both the ceremony and reception at the same location. This will eliminate fuel used to get to the reception from the ceremony.

Favours:
-Edible or usable favours are typically better than trinkets that will sit on a shelf (or in a closet).
-Make a donation to a charity in lieu of favours.
-Skip them. If you need to save some cash, favours should be one of the first things to leave out.

Beverages:
-Fair-trade coffee and tea are easy to find and the extra cost is easily made up for by the extra delicious taste.
-Organic wines are available. Choose the brand that travels least to get to your table.

Food:
-Buy local and organic as much as possible (some caterers specialize in globally minded events and have relationships with Manitoba farmers).

Cake:
-Ask for organic ingredients as much as possible.

Clean-up:
-Designate a friend or your wedding coordinator to make sure that all packaging and paper products get recycled.
-Donate your flowers to a hospital or nursing home.
-Donate left over food to a food bank.

Extras:
-Tell your guests about your green wedding! They may be surprised to see that a green wedding no longer means walking barefoot down the aisle in a brown hemp dress – it is fashionable, elegant and completely practical. This will encourage them to add eco-friendly elements to their next event.
-Research products and services before you buy in. A lot of companies are advertising that they are going green and sometimes it is hard to know what is really green and what is simply clever marketing. Simply asking the company to describe their green products will give you an idea of what shade of green they are!

You don’t need to take all of these tips, of course, but even one or two eco-elements can make a big difference.

Wedding Planner for the Unexpected Circumstances

Last night, Sears Kildonan Place held a night of games, prizes, and information for their gift registry department.  I went and spoke on wedding coordinators and green weddings, and had a great night with the ladies (and a couple guys).

As I was writing my little speech about wedding coordinators, I made a list of things that wedding coordinators do under the heading "take care of unexpected issues that come up."  And in every wedding, little things do come up.  Here's a list of things that I did this summer:

- Helped a queasy officiant with water and an exit strategy - she was sick on the wedding day.
- Showed up extra early at the church to make adjustments to the flowers - I used flowers I picked from gardens of my family and friends.
- Calmed a couple of super nervous grooms.
- Made sure a chatty bride always had a glass of water in her hand.
- Ushered when the ushers didn't show up on time.
- Fed crackers and water to a groomsman who fainted.
- Went to bat for a bride involved in a dispute with a vendor.
- Served champagne to a room full of wedding guests.
- Changed the timeline when the food was served late.

The list above is things that can't be planned, but occasionally happen.  Sometimes a delivery gets lost, a change needs to be made to the timeline, or a contract issue comes up.  These are unfortunate circumstances, but hiring a wedding coordinator can save you a lot of little headaches on your wedding day!

Today

Last night, I was frustrated with a product photo that I just couldn't get right.  Try number one wasn't good, and try number two was apparently even worse.  Tears of frustration gathered in my eyes as my husband pulled me away from the computer and said "Jess, what we have now is all we have, and that's enough."  He's right.  I often focus on where I want to be, and where I want With a Flourish to be when we've "made it."  Instead of thinking of where I want to be, some days it's alright to just focus on today.  Today, I am my own marketing and public relations department, and any other department you can think of.  Today, I am growing this little business and loving it more than ever.  Today, this is all I have.

It's enough.

Wedding Colours

If you are a person who describes colours as "light", "bright", or "dark" then these definitions of trendy wedding colours are for you:  :)

Concord

Chartreuse 

Cobalt

Claret

Mimosa





Champagne





Other colours that are in style include teal, charcoal grey, and peach.

*Most examples are from The Dessy Group website, which has teamed up with Pantone to make it easier to coordinate wedding colours.

Eco-Friendly Candles

 

Source

One of the easiest changes you can make when planning a green wedding is to use eco-friendly alternatives to common items.  For example, weddings use candles, and most candles are called "paraffin candles".  Paraffin is a by-product of the oil industry, and it is petroleum based.  Burning candles may smell nice, but it really has a negative impact on indoor air quality.  There are two main alternatives:  Beeswax and Soy.

Beeswax candles are natural, and often local - wherever you live, there is likely someone making beeswax candles.  Many bee farmers gather the wax from the bee hive, and make it into candles.  One Manitoba company that makes fantastic beeswax candles is Wild Dog Farms.

Another alternative, which I use regularly, are soy candles.  Made from natural soybean wax, soy candles are very clean - they leave almost no soot, they wash off of fabric with warm water, and they don't burn as hot as paraffin candles.  I use these candles because they are eco-friendly, but they also have a practical side - one tea light candle can burn for almost twice as long as a paraffin tea light candle.  From an event planners perspective, this means I don't have to run around lighting candles so often.  The candles will not burn out by the first speech - they will last well into the night.  I like Chinook candles, which are made in Alberta.

There is a good article on soy candles here.

Thank You, Winnipeg Wedding Vendors

Yesterday afternoon, I sat in my car in a rainy back alley in the west end of Winnipeg, making phone calls.  I was between appointments, using up the very few minutes I had to call some Winnipeg vendors.  I feel like I've been on the phone all week, and I feel like I am always asking for something... may I rent this, I saw this in your basement...can I borrow it?, I need photos for an ad... and as a fairly new business with a steadily growing but not huge clientele, I can't offer too much in return.  I've been grateful all week, and for the entire time I've been in business, for the kindness of Winnipeg wedding vendors.  They are remarkably supportive of With a Flourish, and have been since long before I had anything in my portfolio.  I know that I am in a great industry, and I am lucky to work with such fantastic businesses and people.

Here are a few links to some businesses that I am especially thankful for this week:

Sweet Impressions

Pulp & Circumstance

Planned Perfectly

BLF Studios

Green Bean Coffee Imports

Rocky Mountain Soap Company

Joel Ross Photography