Engaged, Excited, STRESSED!

You got Engaged! You are Excited!

 

PC: Leahana Byrd Photography

NOW DON'T GET STRESSED!

It is Bridal Show Season and you will probably be attending a lot of shows.  These can be overwhelming and stressful, but there are lots of ways to NOT let it get to you.  See Below for our survival tips in the next few months. 

1. Create an email address for all wedding related things.

2. Before you attend any show make a list of what you are wanting to look for. 

3. Create and PRINT labels with your information on them to take to shows. Include

     a. Both your name and your future spouses name

     b. Your email address (see step 1 above)

     c. Your Wedding Date (if you don't have one yet put TBD)

     d. Your Venue (again put TBD if you haven't signed a contract)

     e. Your Wedding Colors

     f. Your PHONE number

4. Research online which shows fit your style and personality. Trust me not all shows cater to the same style or couple.

5. Make sure you have a budget in place (feel free to put your budget range for items beside them in step 2)

6. Remember to wear comfortable clothes and shoes

7. Try not to bring a big purse or bags. At most shows at least 1 exhibit will have a bag for you to take and fill.

8. Check the schedule of the show you want to attend so you don't miss anything like the fashion show.

9. Make notes on your sheet (see step 2) of things and booths you liked. It is hard to remember them when you get back home later. Bring stickers to mark the vendors cards that you really like. It is hard to remember them all.

10. DO NOT feel obligated to take everything everyone hands you. Yes exhibitors want you to see their material, but if it's not what your looking for, or need, don't take it - YOU will stay less stressed if you take only what you need (again see step 2) :)

Forest Friends Baby Shower

We had so much fun designing and planning this Forest Friends Baby Shower back in the fall for our gal Miye and Baby Mariko. 

The Mommy to be is one of the sweetest gals you will ever meet.  And she was one of the cutest pregnant gals and big sister was super excited as well!

 With a nursery theme picked out we wanted to match it as much as we could for the shower and I think it turned out pretty darn close.

We set up family style table by putting two 6' tables together, then covered them with black linens, big burlap squares and added forest looking decor.  moss, rocks, wood rounds and branches cut to make small trees in glass vases.   And check out these adorable printables by Mish Mash by Ash that we printed, framed and used on the tables.

 

For food and drinks we kept it simple.  Mommy to be wanted a fun gathering for her and her friends but also something kid friendly for those 6-8 year old girls who would also be there. We hung a simple custom made banner above the table and mixed and matched our wood crates with baskets and galvanized buckets to hold the fruit, veggies, sweets and trail mix. For the kids we had juices and Mimosa's for the adults.  We found some adorable animals from We Lived Happily Ever After that we cut out and tapped to colored card stock strips of paper.  Then we tapped them to mason jars to drink out of.

 

We used real napkins and rolled the silverware in them, then displayed them in a dark wood crate.  To really bring in some of the forest feel we also included fun extras like lanterns filled with moss and glowing candles.

 

We wrote a fun little poem for the girls table and added lots of woodland and forest coloring pages as well as a woodland ABC's book for them to color in for the baby.

We hope you enjoyed this sweet little forest friends baby shower.  Keep in mind you do not always need a ton of things.  Our centerpieces and table decor was made up primarily of moss, tree branches, wood rounds and rocks. And we loved the large windows at fUSe Studios that let in lots of great sunlight.

Lisa Marie

Owner/Stylist/Planner

Events by Lisa Marie

Planning more than just hip, fun, sassy & stylish weddings.

eventsbylisamarie.com

503-830-7779

 

Just Say No!

We believe the best weddings are those that represent our clients personalities, tastes, likes and feel.  So when working with a client, we always want them to feel comfortable saying NO!  I know, it sounds funny right?  But here is the deal. We will take your vision and your explanations of your vision and create ideas for you.

But here is the deal, No one is perfect, Your explanation may not be 100% a vendors suggestion may not be 100%, but the fact that it's your wedding is 100%.  Which means Say NO if you are not 100% on the suggestion.

As a wedding planner I want every bride (even if they are not working with us) to walk away from their wedding saying "it was everything we wanted"

Here is the deal, If you don't want pipe and drape to cover a wall, just say no, if you don't want a certain flower in your arrangements, just say no.  If you don't want a particular food, just say no.  It is just that easy and no professional will try to force you into something just because they "think" they know better.  A professional may explain why they have recommended something heavily but in the end it is up to YOU!

This also applied to family and friends.  Believe it or not we hear more from our clients about how stressed the planning process is because of family more than anything else.  "Aunt Jane, says I need to have roses", "Cousin Sara said I have to have the same dress for all my bridesmaids" "my mom says I need flower girls" All great suggestions but if you aren't going to be happy about it on your day then just say NO!

Our dream clients, know what they want, want something that represents them and their relationship and most importantly can speak their mind with what they want.  In your first meeting with us you will hear us say, "if we suggest something and you do not like it just tell us. We are married and have already had our day, this is YOUR day!"

So do things differently, do things the same, but do them YOUR way!

Fall Back 2016

That's Right, It is time to change those clocks back an hour. 

This Sunday, November 6th, 2016, at 2 AM the clocks change.  So before you go to bed set them back 1 hour. No that doesn't mean you get to stay up 1 additional hour.  But it does means that you gain 1 hour. (or get to act like its a part of groundhogs day and repeat 1 hour of your life!

So Saturday night or first thing Sunday morning. Set those clocks.  And it is a good reminder to also change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

And while most of us now have devises that will do this for us it is important to remember to change the clocks in your car, on the stove/microwave and even in the office (maybe before you leave on Friday, so that Monday you don't have a worse day when you realize it is not right) ;)

Happy Fall! 

Events by Lisa Marie

Event & Wedding Planning

3841 SW Hall Blvd

Beaverton, OR 97005

Get it done - Wedding Planning Tips!

Hey Couples, Yep you too Grooms,

You know that to do list, the one that every wedding planning website tells you, you need to complete.  The list can be long and overwhelming.  But below we will give you some great tips to getting it DONE!

1. Please do not think that EVERYTHING on those list need to be done.  They are meant to be a guide and most times lots of those details will not ever pertain to you. So do not stress out if your list says you have 213 things still to complete on your list.

2. Schedule a time into your week to work on your list or planning.  Maybe its every Tuesday night from 7-8 pm.  It doesn't have to be a lot of time but keep it consistent.  Make time to work on things together, so that you are both on the same page and both involved. Additionally, work on one category at a time.  Trust me it will be more fun than you think.

3. Once a month go thru your list and mark off things you KNOW you will not need to do or pertain to you. These may be things like schedule sitter, renew passports or start making favors. No need to keep things on your list, even if they are on your list for these to do as it gets closer, if you aren't planning to do them. Just cross them off and relieve some of the stress.

4. Twice a week don't do any wedding planning. I know sounds funny right? But think about how often you say "I should work on xyz" then you don't.  Take 2 days a week that are No Planning Days.  Those are strict days off.  It will make you more productive and you will enjoy the process more.

5. Recruit your friends.  Have a once a month planning party when you can get together with your friends and chat about your plans.  Maybe you want to have a program assembling party, or invitation stuffing party. Either way try to get together with your friends for some fun planning. It may even be a night of tasting cupcakes for cake flavors or wine tasting to determine what you want to serve. Just make it fun.

And of course our best advise is to hire a wedding planner to help keep you on track. Not only do they know the tips and tricks but they can help manage your to do list, keep your grounded with things you do not need to do and most importantly make sure you enjoy the process.

Schedule a consult today!

Lisa Marie & Team!

Hip, Fun, Sassy & Stylish 

Wedding & Event Planning

503-830-7779

And don't forget to follow us on social media.

We Moved!!!

So super stinking excited to announce that we have MOVED!

We now have an office in downtown Beaverton with a small event center connected to it. Our office is located inside fUSe Studios PDX. fUSe Studios PDX is a small event space that is available to book for Meetings, Trainings, Classes, Parties & Events.  The lobby is also available for creative individuals or small business owners for 1-1 meetings or just to have a quiet place outside your house to work.

The event studio side can hold up to 40 people at tables and chairs or 60 as a standing reception.

We are super excited to be a part of this and hope it helps bring lots of benefit to other small businesses in the Beaverton area. 

So you can now find us at 3841 SW Hall Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97005

If you are interested in seeing the space for your business meeting, to utilize the lobby to meet clients or just to come check out our new digs let us know. We would be happy to show you around. 

 

Thanks for reading

Lisa Marie

Events by Lisa Marie

3841 SW Hall Blvd

503-830-7779

 

Simple Guidance For You In Your Wedding Budget

Now that you have announced your engagement here are some of our favorite tips to creating & sticking to your wedding budget!

1. Use a spreadsheet - If you are working with a wedding planner they can help you with this to stay on track. If you aren't working with someone, schedule a consultation with us to learn more about creating a live working spreadsheet.

2. Guest List! - BEFORE you start looking at venues and other wedding professionals make sure you have set your budget and created your guest list. Finding and falling in love with a venue that is out or your budget is never fun. Additionally, your guest list can always be shrank down to help with your budget.

3. Dual Use Items - There are a lot of items you can use to decorate your ceremony with that can be brought over to your reception. Like candles & flowers, the flowers hanging below were moved over to centerpieces.

Photo by Alan Weiner Photography

4. Dessert - We see a LOT of leftover cake & other desserts. It is ok to get desserts for only 70-75% of your total attendees. Not everyone stays long enough to partake and not everyone wants to eat dessert (or cake so try something different). When working with your bakery come up with something interactive or true to your personalities.

Photo by Christa Taylor Photography

5. Do not let other people tell you what you "have" to have at your wedding.  Pick 2 things that are the most important to you and splurge on those.  Then pick 2 things that are NOT important to you.  Stick to your list.

6. Favors - Trust me when I say something edible or consumable is best. Your guests LOVE something they can eat or use. Some of the best favors we have seen were Jam, Cookies, Chocolates, Candles. Try to stay away from things that are engraved as many times your guests will not want just 1 or 2 items that are engraved. Additionally they are not always wanting things that have someone else name and anniversary on it that does not match their current items. Below is a picture of chapstick from a past clients wedding.

Photo by Paul Rich Studio

Thank you so much for reading. We hope this helps in giving you some simple tips to creating a budget for your wedding. Wedding Planning is not something you do every day so our best tip is to work with a professional wedding planner who knows, not just the industry, but also your local professionals. They can help make your day run flawlessly. 

To see additional pictures of our work check out our portfolios on our main website.

Happy Wedding Planning

Lisa Marie & Team

Events by Lisa Marie

Portland Oregon Wedding Planning

Info@eventsbylisamarie.com

503-830-7779

 

December Cheer

In honor of Christmas, The Events by Lisa Marie office will be closed from December 22nd - Jan 1st.  We would like to wish you all a wonderful time filled with lots of love, laughter and magical memories.

Our team will be spending quality time with our own families, loving and laughing together and getting ready for a very busy 2016 year.

If you are engaged and want to schedule a consultation please feel free to send us off an email and we will get back to within 24 hours.

Making Memories

Lisa Marie and Team

eventsbylisamarie.com

503-830-7779

info@eventsbylisamarie.com

He Asked, You Said Yes, Now What?

Congratulations! The love of your life asked you to spend the rest of your life with him. The excitement is real, The bling is amazing & the families are excited. But now what do you do? Below are some of our tips to starting the planning process.

1. Make sure you spend a few days together enjoying your special time. This is a moment that will be just for the two of you. Enjoy it, Reveal in it!

2. After you have taken some time begin to tell family and friends but do not allow yourself to get too wrapped up in the excitement and start to make commitments to anyone. Additionally make sure all family and close friends know that you want to tell people so to please NOT post things on social media till you get a chance to. The last thing you want is someone finding out before you get a chance to tell them yourself.

3. Work on a budget (stay tuned for a post next week about some simple steps to starting one). By creating a budget before you start planning will help shape the types of wedding professionals you meet with. You do not want to book a venue or professional that will throw your entire budget out of whack.

4. Consult with a wedding planner (we offer a 1 hour complimentary consultation). Professional Wedding Planners can save you money, time and stress.  We do not need to sort thru 20 pages of google results to find the right bakery, photographer or florist for you. We know many professionals that we have worked with and trust that we can recommend. Additionally, many will give you discounts.

5. Enjoy the process.  Spend at least 2 nights a week with your fiance where you DO NOT talk about the planning process. Where you just have a date night out. Enjoying your time with each other.

Happy Wedding Planning

Lisa Marie & Team

Portland Oregon, Wedding Planners

eventsbylisamarie.com

503-830-7779

info@eventsbylisamarie.com

Holiday Bazaar!

It's that time of year when people run crazy trying to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones. Come visit us this Saturday December 12th at the future home of fUSe Studios PDX for a Holiday Bazaar and get all your last minute gifts taken care of.

From stocking stuffers to employees gifts, neighbor goodies to teacher presents.  You can find it all in one stop.  Additionally, get your gifts wrapped while there. No need to get home and hide anything because you can come home with them all wrapped.

Bring cash for the gift wrapping station and the hot chocolate bar and a fun festive attitude.  Arrive early as the first 20 thru the door will get a bag full of fun gifts from our vendors.

 

Time to Shop Local! 

fUSe Studios PDX 

Holiday Bazaar Beaverton 2015