Angie (STL Wine Girl) and Melissa (Bunny Cakes STL) put together five pairings of wine and cupcakes that were delicious, with flavors that complimented each other perfectly. I know I was thoroughly impressed with how separately each were great, but together they were fantastic! Check out the cupcake and wine combos below, plus some fabulous photos taken by moi!

• Strawberries & Champage Cupcake paired w/ Riondo Prosecco Rosada
• Carrot Cake Cupcake w/ Orange Buttercream Frosting paired w/ Quady Orange Muscat
• Snickerdoodle Cupcake paired w/ Adler Fels Gewurztraminer
• Red Velvet Cupcake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting paired w/ Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz
• Chocolate Cupcake w/ Caramel Frosting paired w/ Otima 10 Tawny Port

And just in case you were wondering about combo number three there with the snickerdoodle cupcake and Gewurztraminer…yeah it ROCKED my socks off! So did the strawberries and champagne! If you see these two ladies joining forces again in the future for a tasting, I highly recommend signing up for the event. I guarantee it will be well worth the price you pay to have a couple of hours of great wine, great food and even better lessons!

Thanks again to Angie and Melissa! It was great to meet you ladies! Cheers to you both!

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Kristin Weis, our board secretary, and I were on site for the four hour show to promote the organization, and I must admit the turnout and response was fantastic! Not that I would expect anything less from St. Louis! While many brides and their families had never heard of Wish Upon a Wedding, they certainly left more informed and eager to help out!

Many thanks go out to St. Louis Perfect Wedding Guide, Belli Fiori, BBJ Linen and Two Blue Doors for making our first bridal show booth a success! We are so very fortunate to have wonderful St. Louis vendors willing to help out with no questions asked and for that we appreciate you! We look forward to many more successful shows in the future!

For more information on Wish Upon a Wedding and how you can help, visit the web site!

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This handy dandy hospitality bag/box is a great way to make your guests feel at right home, no matter how many miles they’ve traveled to be with you! Checking into a hotel room after a long trip and being handed a nicely made goodie bag is a great feeling!

Things you might consider including in your gift bag/box:

• Bottled Water. This is a must! Most hotels charge for water and well tap water is just alright in most places, so tuck in a bottle or two to keep those thirsts quenched!
• Snacks. Whether it be cookies, pretzels, candy or chips be sure to leave your guests a little something to nibble on while they wait or for after they’ve had a few drinks!
• Directions. If you’re wedding ceremony location or reception location are a bit hard to find, include a map to help your guests get around. I’m sure they’ll thank you!
• Itinerary. If you’re having a destination wedding or a jam-packed, event filled weekend, you might consider adding a schedule of events. No need for anyone to miss the fun!
• Brochures/Local Information. I’m not talking any old brochures here, this is more about providing your guests with some ideas of what to do around town while they’re there. Brochures for a zoo, museum or other tour would be ideal! Also think restaurants!
• Something Personal. Last year I went to a wedding where the bride and groom included two small bottles of appropriately named liquor, Jameson and (Captain) Morgan…hint they’re last name. Super cute!

While hospitality bags are something you can 100% do on your own, as with everything else, you can always hire someone to take care of it for you! Here in St. Louis, we have a fun new company called Goodies for Guests, specializing in custom hospitality boxes! These neat little boxes can come filled with just about anything your little heart can imagine…and maybe even some St. Louis originals!

Happy bagging or boxing! Cheers!

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And if I must say so myself, the photobooth is one trend I FULLY support! While I may not be behind ALL of the prop ideas (i.e. those weird mustaches on a stick), I do think having a photobooth is a great way to get those candid, silly and ridiculously fun shots of your guests baring it all (and I don’t mean literally) in front of the camera.

If you’re in the St. Louis area and looking for a photobooth, you’re in luck because we have a plethora of different companies with various photobooth options, so be sure to check them out! Some are retro, some traditional and some even open for the room to see! Here is a list of some photobooth companies in St. Louis to get you started!

• Photobooth StL
• Goodeye Photoshare
• Laughing Penguins Photo Booth Studio
• St. Louis Photobooth
• CI Photobooth
• Artistic Soup

So if you want to guarantee a little extra fun on your wedding day, or just have a bunch of extra pictures, I say give it a shot. Several of my brides for this year are all doing photobooths and I am excited! I may even have to hop in for a picture or two myself!

So get in that booth, throw on a straw hat, a lei and some sunglasses…and SMILE! Cheers!

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The cake topper has gone from super traditional to uber creative and I always thinks it’s fun to see what people come up with. Now I’m not suggesting traditional is bad, but it definitely is nice to see what else is out there! But don’t be afraid to go either way! As usual, nothing is wrong or right, it’s just about what you feel! See below for some great ideas!

Pictures taken from Martha Stewart Weddings and, Beau Coup, Super Punch and Wedding Star!

Man, some of these are just different, but who am I to judge! I think they’re all fun in their own way because they exude a certain type of personality, don’t you think?? Nothing better than when a bride and groom brings their personality to every part of the wedding!

Happy topper picking! Cheers!

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Right now we’re prepping for our gala, one of many Blissful Wishes Balls taking place around the nation as part of WUW’s official Month of Giving! If you haven’t already marked the date for the St. Louis Gala, it’s Sunday, November 14th!

In the meantime, check out some of the many great ways you can help us out!

• Make a Contribution. Regular old donation made via PayPal, 75% of which goes toward fulfilling wedding wishes, 12.5% for fund-raising & 12.5% for administrative costs!
• Bid In (Or Donate To) Our Online Auctions. Announced on July 1st, we’ll be auctioning hundreds of products and services in 46 states through November 30, 2010!
• Donate Air Miles. If you’ve got them and you’re not using them, consider donating them! You’re donation will help fly a loved one (or two) in town for a wedding wish!
• Volunteer on a Committee. Lacking monetary funds to support Wish Upon a Wedding? We’d love you have your extra time too, whether via committee or volunteer!
• Online Social Networking. Help us spread the Wish Upon a Wedding word via your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social networking account! Also be sure to follow us on Twitter @WishUponWedding and check out the St. Louis Chapter on Facebook!
• Sign Up for the Newsletter. Now this is easy! Just go online and sign up for the newsletter to stay current on all of the latest Wish Upon a Wedding news!
• Become a Wish Granter. Do you have a product, service or space to provide in order to help grant a wedding wish! Well, we still need you! St. Louis covers a 300  mile radius so we need Wish Granters in Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield and Memphis too!
• The Wishing Well. Support Wish Upon a Wedding by donating 1% of your profits from one event OR  1% of your profits from the sale of your products!
• Donate Products. Wish Upon a Wedding accepts new (unused) products to support the organization! Fill out an online application for approval prior to shipping!
• The Wishing Star. Purchase a beautiful Wishing Star pin for $50 so you can WEAR your support for Wish Upon a Wedding!
• In Lieu of Favors or Gifts. Have a bride or groom looking for an alternative to gifts or favors? Suggest that they consider making a donation in lieu of favors! Or their guests can make a donation is lieu of gifts!

Whew! Was that enough options for you?!? Visit the Wish Upon a Wedding web site to find out more about this great organization!

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So, if you’re thinking an outdoor wedding might be in your future, be sure to throw out some goodies or appropriate time frames to help your guests make it through the day. They’ll thank you for it, and you’ll probably thank yourself when you put on the fabulous dress, get your hair done and apply all that gorgeous make up!

1. Have ice water on hand. This is an absolute must for an outdoor wedding! Bottled water is super cheap and so is ice, so go ahead and make it happen!
2. Fans as favors. These are always awesome to get when at a wedding, provide a personalized fan so your guests can wave that heat away!
3. Make shade readily available (when possible). Whether it be in the form of a pavilion, tent, umbrella or even parasol, a little shade can go a long way!
4. Provide some sunscreen. Seems odd I know, but why the heck not! If you’re guests are going to sit in the sun for a wedding, they may as well avoid a sunburn, right?
5. Avoid the hottest times. I know 3:00 in the afternoon might seem like an ideal time for an outdoor ceremony, but it won’t be for your guests. Shoot for earlier in the day or later in the evening to make sure you avoid the hottest times of the day!

Here are some great favor ideas from Beau Coup, that are ideal for summertime weddings!

Remember that when it comes to a summertime wedding, be mindful of your guests and their comfort level! I know I always say the wedding is about you and your groom-to-be, and you should do what you want! And it is! But you definitely want your family and friends to attend and have a great time, and not spend the day sweating it out!

Happy summer planning! And good luck to all you summer brides out there! Cheers!

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The St. Louis Wedding Planner is a web site dedicated to helping brides and grooms learn more about all of the fabulous wedding ceremony and reception venues in the St. Louis area. By conducting in-person interviews and walk-throughs myself, I hope to give brides and grooms information that is more than valuable in helping them select their wedding ceremony and reception locations! And I’ll be categorizing each venue by St. Louis neighborhood for all of you interested in a particular area of the city!

Last week, I started with An American Place, which is located right in the heart of downtown on Washington Avenue in the Renaissance Grand Hotel! I was fortunate enough to get a personal walk-through of the space as well as a run down of pricing, what’s included in the reception package as well as some other fun details (and pics) which I’ll be sharing on the site! Be looking for all the goods come July! And thanks to Katie at An American Place for being my guinea pig!

If you’re interested in having your venue featured on the St. Louis Wedding Planner, please contact me directly! I promise it’ll be a painless visit!

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Everyone knows there is a lot that goes into planning a wedding, but sometimes, people forget just exactly HOW much there really is! That’s why it takes a good training strategy to make your wedding a success, and well to make it enjoyable!

• Drink lots of water. In some instances, you might substitute the water for a martini or glass of wine (or two), and there will be no judgment on my end! And in this case, it may just be a necessary evil to help you maintain your sanity! But please drink responsibly!
• Walk every now and then. You don’t always have to sprint to get to the finish line! After you’ve got your big stuff knocked out, i.e. the venues, photographers and florists, take a break and start to space things out until you get it all done.
• Get lots of rest. This is especially true leading up to your big day. There is no need to add to the stress of a wedding due to lack of sleep. Nobody wants a cranky bride, and nobody wants to be a cranky bride. Last time I checked, weddings were meant to be fun! And sleep can only make you feel and look your best for the big day!
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Sometimes planning a wedding is easier when you have someone on hand to help. Your mom or best friend would be good options, but absolutely NOT for the day-of! And when all else fails, we’ve got these handy things we like to call planners waiting around to be at your beckon call!

How’s that for an analogy at 9:30 on a Monday night?!? In short, keep it simple when you can, don’t overexert yourself and as always remember to HAVE FUN! It’s about celebrating your love and your future, don’t ever forget it! Just ease your way into the marathon!

Happy running! Cheers!

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If you made it out, and we know about 160 of you did, we appreciate it! If you missed out, we hope you can make it to our annual Wish Upon a Wedding black-tie gala on Sunday, November 14, 2010! Now, check out some of the amazing pictures from last night!!

You had to see it to believe it!! Many, many, and many more thanks go out to all of the board members, committee members, volunteers and our fabulous sponsors who made it all happen! It was because of everyone’s hard work that the party was such a success! And the biggest thanks goes out to our amazing Event Planning committee and Lumen Private Event Space!

Now that we’re kicked off any ready to go, we’re still in need of Wish Granters and Volunteers to keep the momentum going! Remember, the St. Louis Chapter covers a 300 mile radius, which means we can grant wishes as far as Kansas City or Memphis! If you’re looking for more ways to help out, visit the Wish Upon a Wedding web site for more details!

And be sure to like the St. Louis Chapter on Facebook to keep up with all the exciting updates! Let’s keep things rolling! Cheers!

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