The difference between work and life

WOW! It is insane the amount of time that has passed.

I was so excited when I last blogged to blog about the Royal Wedding and now not only is that yesterday's news, there has been two other royal weddings since then. Side note, I love anything royal. Call my a helpless romantic and a lover of everything historical. I love reading about the history of the British Monarchy. I have actually been one of those people who have stood outside for 8 hours waiting for Prince Charles and Camellia to appear at a movie premiere. I also waited for Al Pacino that night too so it totally worth it. There is something almost mystical about the royal family and how this one family has been seen as a figure head for centuries.





Photos from BBC.CO.UK BBC News


The main reason for not writing has been my problem with seperating work and life. I of course work in the event planning business for weddings, corporate events, golf tournaments so of course come spring and summer I am crazy busy. But too busy for life? Well.....yes. I come home after a rough day and bring all those troubles and let them transition into my life. My poor boyfriend should deserve a metal for having to put up with me. I am very passionate about my job and when something may not go right or is not perfect I get upset. It is a fault that I need to work on I know I know. Another one of my issues seperating life and work is my phone. I own a blackberry. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! No iphone here in this house. But with the blackberry comes the emails. When I get an email from a bride asking about linen colors or menu questions at 11pm yes I respond right then. BIG PLANNER NO NO. I recently attended an event who had a planner from "Whose Wedding Is it Anyways?" TV show on the Style Network speaking. She said no matter what she does she turns off the email and phone at 6pm every day. No matter what! This seems so foreign to me. The location that I work at is open 7 days a week. Of course I can not work that much so I have to take days off during the week to supplement working major events on the weekend. If i have a Monday off I may have an event contact me on a Monday changing something for the event on a Tuesday. Naturally I have to respond because I think the kitchen would kill me if I walk in the door and tell them a hr before an event that the client has added 10 more people. I can tell you I would not be alive right now if I did that. haha Hence working on my day off. I feel bad when I do not get back to a client right away. What to do what to do???

Tips, tricks, suggestions...How do you seperate work and life?

Rain Rain Go Away Come again Another Day

Rain rain go away come again another day, just not a wedding day. Rain! Every Bride's nightmare. Wet hair, wet dress, rained out ceremony or recption, there is nothing good about it...or is there?



When showing the venue to potential bride's, out of everyone of their mouths is "What is the Rain backup plan?" My response, "I have worked here for 6 years and I have never had a ceremony outside be rained out" Which is a true story. This seems to calm their nerves a little. Maybe sometime in my lifetime I made a pact with the rain gods that I didn't know about. The venue does have back up plans, we have a doppler system that lets us know if it is just a passing storm or one that is going to be around a little bit, we can convert the ballroom into the ceremony site, or if they choose we can close the restuarant and the ceremony can occur in there.


This past weekend was a rain nightmare. Hail, tornados, heavy winds. We did have a wedding, but going along the idea about the unknown Rain gods pact, it was an offsite church ceremony. I felt horrible for the bride when I had to tell her that the usual picture area by the lake was too muddy and soggy to take pictures at. I sensed the disappointment, but she went with the flow and used our fireplace instead for formal photos and even snuck outside inbetween storms to get some pics in the 5 minutes of sun we had that day.


I love photographer blogs. You get to see tons of happy pictures and styles of different couples. I especially love those blogs about weddings that were rained and snowed on and the couples used it to their advantage. They get pictures of them skipping through the snow or cuddling under an oversized umbrella. I know all you brides out there will be checking weather.com every second, days before the wedding. If you see rain coming why not run out and get some cute umbrellas. Dollar stores have some cute children's umbrellas full of colors that would look cute for Bridemaid's pictures. Why not reinact Singing on the Rain (I'm a musical lover so this would totally be me!!!)


Yea it will suck not to have pictures in the sun or the ceremony has to be moved inside, but why not use the rain to your advantage. Ask your venue if you can come back another day to get those sunshine pictures outside. You'll be more relaxed and take as many pictures as you want because you won't be worrying about missing any of the reception. Remember Rain is suppose to be lucky and good luck for the marriage!!!

What would you do if you had rain on your wedding day, use it to your advantage? Did you have rain on your wedding day? Care to share your stories how you "survived"?

Save the Thank you!

I am not sure about you, but I grew up in a house where after every birthday and Christmas (both are the same date for me) I was banished to the kitchen table until I wrote an individual thank you note to each and every person who I recieved a gift from. I would huff and puff and whine and sigh until the last letter of my name was written on the last card.

This type of hospitality was something my mom made me and my sibling do not matter what. I now enstate this in my life as a grown up (Thanks Mom!) including enforcing it on my boyfriend during the holiday season and other special occasions when we have received gifts. He has taken on the role I had when I was a little girl, huffing and puffing and saying "Are we done yet?" and he only has to sign his name to them. Lordy I can't image the day if we get married. I imagine you are seeing where this post is going, those thank you notes for Bridal Shower gifts and those wedding gifts. I've seen the versions that my friends have done and even some of my bride's I've worked with. Personally there is nothing sweeter then to know that your job or friendship is appreciated. I also think that it is a dying art. As a bride, these people took time out of their lives and money out of their wallets to celebrate you and your husband's love and that should be commended. I mean in today's society where everyone is running everywhere and "always too busy" they stopped what they were doing to show you their support.

The newest trend I've seen is to get a postcard made of your picture either from your engagement photo session or your actual wedding.



A great Thank you card option from Photo Cards Design.com



These are great because it is personalized. The negative side of these postcards is that you can preprint your own generic message on the other side, slap a stamp on it, an address and yippie you are done! Come on guys! Take two minutes out of your schedule and write something personalized to your guest. There was nothing more of a turn off when I received one of these postcards from a friend who was thanking me for her wedding gift when I knew that the other 149 of her guests got the same exact thing. Not even an actual signature or anything. Even if it's the generic 99 cent thank you cards from CVS, take time to actually write the thank you note.


Don't do it on your honeymoon either to just get it done!!! You don't want to remember your all exclusive resort honeymoon as the time you got did not get to see the sunset over the ocean because you had to finish the thank yous. Your guests understand and expect not to recieve it the week after the wedding. They know you are busy with other activities on your honeymoon. As long as you are timely (a month after the wedding) you are good to go!


So don't let this little task become a lost art. I know Aunt Beverly would love to hear that you specifically thought of her as you make your morning coffee with the new coffeepot she gifted upon you. Show the people around you that you truely appreciate them. It also does not hurt to send one to your vendors as well ;)

Good Morning to you.

So I know there are tons of wedding blogs out there personal, professional, how to's, what not to do's, do it yourself, budget savvy, and everything in between. Well mine I hope will be a tossed salad of it all. I am a Catering Manager for a Venue. You book the venue and I am your go to girl (hence the Little Ms Planner). Wanna know about the pineapple wrapped scallops or whether to have your first dance before or after dinner, just ask. I will gladly share my experiences and opinions. This is where the professional part of the blog comes in. Note: I use professional lightly. I see myself as working towards professional. There are so many people in this business who seem to be pushed and shoved out of the way because there is someone younger hipper than them that just decided they wanted to be in the wedding business because it would be "fun" when it is actually the people that have been in the business for so long that has made this whole "wedding thing" the craze it is now. We should learn from them and those are the people who I strive to be on my road to professionalism. I know the reception side of the wedding, it's my job that I take seriously. Okay enough of that yada yada. The personal part of this blog, I am an unmarried, long term relationship, habitat sharing, dinner cooking Catering Manager. In simpler terms, Ten years and he hasn't put a ring on it. Haha, it makes me giggle this wedding craze world I work in and I have not had one myself. In this blog you will find little bits of knowledge, sprinkled with crazy unbelievable experiences, drizzled with just my thoughts on this silly little world of weddings or obsession that has been taken over by TV, Magazines, and little girls dreaming of Prince Charming. Enjoy.