Christmas comes early to the Dishy gang…and it brings with it a fancy new title! I found out a couple of weeks back that Dishy Event Planning was selected for The Knot Best of Weddings 2012 and I couldn’t be more excited and honored! What’s the best part you ask? Knowing that the selection was made based on my reviews from past brides!

2011 was kind of a whirlwind year for me (in more ways than one), so I’m grateful that all my hard work was so well received, not to mention I got to send several happy couples down the aisle! I’m raising my glass this holiday season to my 2011 brides and looking forward to many more amazing weddings in 2012, 2013, etc…you get the picture!

Look for the official announcement to come out on January 23, 2012 from The Knot! Hip hip hooray!

And congrats to my fellow planner and good friend, miss Kristin Weis, on her selection too!

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Happy Thanksgiving from Dishy! I’m beyond thankful and grateful for all of my friends, family, brides, colleagues AND for getting to do what I love for the past two years now! By the way, here’s what I’ll be eating tomorrow (and Friday and Saturday)…of course mine is not as pretty.

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays!

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A recap from the 2011 St. Louis gala from the Wish Upon a Wedding national blog…

It’s only been twenty four hours and the St. Louis wedding industry is still a buzz from our 2011 Blissful Wishes Ball. What an amazing evening that was had by all! From tarot card readings to blindfolded taste testings and St. Louis Cardinals’ autographed memorabilia, the gala had something for everyone! We we’re especially honored to have two of our wish recipient couples – Jason and Melissa and Lance and Tina.

At this year’s gala we also announced our second annual Shining Star Award winner, miss Gina Kelly from Lace Photography. When not shooting weddings and portraits, Gina actively donates her time to several organizations, including The Pujols Family Foundation, Covenant House and First Things First.

Since Halloween is just a few short days away and I haven’t blogged in FOREVER, I thought it appropriate I take this time to blog about some Halloween wedding ideas. A Halloween wedding is ONLY for the BRAVE of heart. I can’t say I would do it, but hey I did find these ideas kind of cute nonetheless. Take a look at how you can turn your wedding night into All Hallows Eve!

It’s that time of year again! You guessed it, gala time! Here in St. Louis we’re gearing up in a big way for what’s sure to be another AMAZING gala! This year’s theme is “Transformations” which means we expect to see a lot of alter egos and real life transformations going on. Taking place at the FABULOUS Coronado Ballroom in midtown St. Louis on November 20th, guests are in for a treat! From a thirteen piece band, to stunning decor and even a late night cupcake truck, this gala is sure to have it all!

When I was little girl, I watched every award shows religiously. Nowadays, I try to catch them when I can. And tonight I was certainly happy I did. The fashion, as usual, was to die for, so I thought I’d share a few of my faves on the blog this evening! Enjoy! Now I wonder how many of these trends we’ll be seeing in wedding and bridesmaids dresses…hmmm. What do you think!?!

Hey readers! I’m back on a blogging roll and ready to share some tips and tricks for you brides and grooms out there! I attended a wedding on Labor Day weekend that made me think of guest etiquette that people don’t usually consider. It’s about the length of the break between your wedding ceremony and reception and trust me, what you choose makes a big difference.

The average break between a ceremony and the cocktail hour/reception is one to two hours. Any less is a bonus for your guests and any more can be quite the doozie. Now, I am without a doubt always down for having time for great photos but I’m not always down for a three, four or five hour break. I try to advise my clients against it because finding filler activities for that long can be quite difficult AND people start to poop out after a while, YOU and the guests!

If you’re considering a longer than average break time between your ceremony and reception, here are a list of tips to help ensure your guests don’t lose their steam:

• Provide a List of Activities. If you’re like most couples, their wedding guests come from all over the country to celebrate their special day. If you have a lot of out of town guests, be sure to share a list of activities and places they could visit during that break.
• Host an Open House. Have a lot of out of town guests? Maybe a family member or close friend would consider having an open house to entertain your guests during that time. It’d be a great way for people to start to mingle and enjoy themselves!
• Pick a Nearby Hotel. If your guests end up getting a little tired/bored during the break, it’s always nice to have planned ahead with a wedding block at a nearby hotel. Guests that are staying there  can simply head back to their room to relax or take a nap!
• Consider an Earlier Cocktail. Starting a cocktail reception a little earlier with drinks and hors d’oeuvres is a nice touch for your guests. Plus, it’ll get them a little pumped and ready to start the party for when you arrive!
  

Now I know that some breaks are unavoidable…I’ve been to/worked a few Catholic weddings in my day so I know they have set ceremony times. But if you’re considering a long break for photos only, then I usually recommend that you get some photos in before the ceremony. Plus you’re guaranteed some great natural light at that time anyway!

So that’s that…some advice from little ol’ me. Remember to be courteous of your wedding guest, especially those from out of town! Cheer!

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I can’t believe it’s been already 10 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Flight 93. I like to think the world has become a better place since then, and we as Americans more friendly and kind toward one another. Life is precious, so I wanted to take a moment today to remember the nearly 3,000 lives that were tragically lost that day.

We’ll always remember…

Well it’s been a while since I’ve blogged and I’m so sorry for being away so long! I thought I’d come back with a post on some things I’ve seen lately that I absolutely love for weddings! I’ve been keeping track of all my faves on Pinterest, so if you’re no on there I’d highly recommend it to keep track of wedding inspiration, ideas and all that fun stuff!

From fabulous chair sashes, to cupcakes to go…I love it all! Special note to Austin Wedding Blog (where I found a lot of these) and Style Me Pretty. And away we go!

The Stay Classy Awards program is the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country, honoring the achievements of the nation’s top charities, businesses and individuals. This year’s program will be in San Diego on September 17th.

Out of over 2,000 entries, Wish Upon a Wedding (http://www.wishuponawedding.org) was chosen by judges as one of the TOP 25 philanthropies, nominated to win Charity of the Year in the 3rd Annual Stay Classy Awards.

This award could help the organization secure grant money valued at $15,000, enabling them to further enhance  their current programming and services.  It is their goal to begin providing travel and accommodations for distant families, which they currently lack the funding to do.  Your vote can help them reach their goals more quickly!

It only takes a moment to VOTE, so please do so today!

Vote here: http://classyawards.stayclassy.org/classy-awards/voting