{St. Louis,MO} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce Dishy Event Planning has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Wedding Planning!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Dishy Event Planning was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

We’ve just wrapped up another holiday season and we’re heading into a NEW YEAR! That means new engagements have happened or happening soon (woohoo)! So congratulations! You are about to embark on a wonderful journey into the world of wedding planning! So get ready!

It’s pretty typical for the whirlwind excitement of an engagement to be met with the all too common question: “Where do I start?” The process of planning your wedding will undoubtedly  be one of the more stressful, yet most enjoyable experiences of your life. And with the right tips and strategy, you can streamline your planning to make it a smooth process for all involved. Here are a few quick tips to get you started down the right path!

A new year (yay) brings a  SECOND anniversary to Dishy Event Planning! These past couple of years have been nothing short of amazing! Having worked with so many wonderful brides and stellar vendors, I definitely feel blessed! A quick visit to our testimonials page says it all!

We have high hopes for 2012 as we step back from some of our extra obligations to put more focus on our clients and weddings this year! We’ll also be exploring new advertising outlets and can’t wait for The Knot announcement of Best of Weddings 2012!

Congratulations to all of the newly engaged couples out there! Wishing you all a safe, happy and very prosperous 2012! Cheers!

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Every now and then you come across a laid back couple who’s extremely classy and all around just wonderful people. Fortunately, for me, I was able to work with one such couple, Kate and David, for their September 24th wedding. Through several phone calls and emails (Kate and David live in CA), I was able to help Kate pull together all the final details for her dream day! It was truly an honor and privilege for me! And how adorable are those kids, seriously!?!

It was so hard to pick my faves from the dozens of photos Ben Trevor shared, but I managed!

On May 14, 2011 I was able to work with one of my most favorite couples EVER – Beth and Chris. And now that their love story and wedding has been shared with all of St. Louis via Alive Magazine (woohoo), I can finally take the time to write about them for my blog! Yay!

Chris proposed to Beth on May 14, 2010 and we spent exactly ONE YEAR planning their perfect wedding day. Their wedding had it ALL -  fire breathers, a confetti cannon, a unity painting and one amazing couple. I’m so grateful that Beth and Chris allowed me to be a part of their big day! And photographer extraordinaire, Lisa Hessel caught it all on film!

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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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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