Tag Archives: Sacramento CA

Dealing With Post-Wedding Depression

by

It might sound funny to some but Post-Wedding Depression is something that really does exist. I’ve seen it happen to my clients more than a few times, and it’s heartbreaking to watch brides go from such a high to such a low once the wedding is over. So I wanted to take a moment to share how it happens and my advice on how to avoid it.

Imagine this:

Twelve months of planning: phone calls, cake tastings, shopping, assembling favors with your bridesmaids, taking engagement photos, picking out flowers, writing your vows, and working your little heart out in your every spare moment to get every little detail in place. Then: bachelorette party, bridal showers, the big spotlight on you. And Finally: The day arrives, and everyone is there to see you in all your beauty. This is the day you’ve dreamed of, the day you will marry your soul mate in front of all your family and friends. And after your vows there is an amazing celebration. Your first dance, the speeches given with love, cutting the cake; tou are the center of your own blissful universe. Twelve months of planning has turned into the most amazing night of your life. And at the end of the evening you are whisked away to your first romantic night together as a married couple.

And then .… then what? You wake up the next morning and there are dishes in the sink, laundry that needs to be done, dinner that needs to be cooked, and you and your husband are, well, the same as you were before but you now share a last name. It’s a harsh reality for some. You’ve been so distracted by all of the planning that you may have forgotten just how blissful normal life was before all of this started. And the fact that people around you move on with their lives being perfectly content, not discussing your wedding anymore, can be a tough one to swallow, too.

How to avoid it:

The honeymoon is a sure way to help beat the wedding blues. You pack your bags, board a flight, or hop in the car and take off to a destination where it’s just the two of you. Get pampered and enjoy time together basking in the sunshine, cocktail in hand, or visiting new places. Talk about your future and reflect on your special day. Be excited knowing that when you get home there will be notes of congratulations, gifts to open, people to fill in on the details of your honeymoon, and even more incredible photos to look at and share. Sure, the daily chores will still be there, but they’ll be interspersed with the lingerings of mementos from your big day. This is the way to do it!

Can’t afford a honeymoon? Turn off the phones and TV for a few days and just be. Be together, alone. Reflect on all of the good times at the wedding. Talk about future plans and goals. Schedule date nights, and go out for a few romantic dinners or picnics. Even if you aren’t able to go anywhere, escape together and look forward to the next phase of planning, planning your future.

Another great way to keep your spirits up is to plan a few dinner parties with your bridal party or your married friends. Another fun idea is to throw a photo/video viewing party once you’ve gathered everyone’s best shots {or your photographer’s shots}. It’s a great way to relive your day with the people who played an important role in your wedding.

The reality is that jumping right back into life after being on such an incredible high is exactly the cause of Post-Wedding Depression. It doesn’t matter if you drive down the coast for a week, hotel hop in places you’ve always wanted to visit, fly away to a warm sandy beach, or get a cozy at home while settling into your new life. You need this time to ease yourself back into normal life. After all, things are going to be different now than they have been for the past 12 months. What do you do when there’s nothing left to do anymore? Have fun and enjoy each other and the memories made. Remember why you chose to marry each other in the first place. Then, plan to enjoy the rest of your lives together!

How to Beat the Summer Heat at Your Wedding

by

Summer has finally arrived! With temperatures reaching triple digits in some areas I thought I’d share a few great tips on how to beat the summer heat. Of course being indoors for portions of your wedding is the best way to do so. If your wedding is planned for outdoors, however, here are a few suggestions on keeping your guests cool.

When meeting at your wedding venue ask the coordinator {or the resident} where the
natural shade will be at the time of your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, and
utilize those spaces. Naturally shaded areas will be much cooler than a tented area,
which can sometimes hold in the heat. Most venue coordinators have noted where the
shade will be at various times of the day and year.

Your ceremony is likely to be held at the hottest point in the day. Offering your
guests chilled, rolled towels {which can be passed butler style or placed at the
back of the ceremony just as guests begin to arrive}, and a fresh iced water or
lemonade upon arrival is a great way to greet and keep them cool throughout the
ceremony. Choosing programs that double as fans is always a nice touch as well.
And, if the area where your ceremony takes place is not shaded, offering parasols
will help.

You can also consider serving chilled appetizers and side dishes with dinner to keep
it fresh and light. Consider chilled soup shooters at your cocktail hour and a
chilled veggie salad rather than steamed veggies with dinner. And, if you’d like to
keep things fun and cool, you may want to serve ice-cream sandwiches in lieu of
cake! But most important, keep those cool drinks flowing, and make sure
you’ve got plenty of water and ice on hand!

Cheers to a fabulous summer wedding!

Ideas for Fourth of July Weddings

by

The Fourth of July is upon us, and many couples will be saying ‘I do’ over the holiday weekend. Nothing says summer quite like this All-American holiday, which always brings warmth and good spirits. Although I do love the traditional colors of red, white and blue, when it comes to weddings I love to break the mold a bit. Here is some Fourth of July inspiration that you can incorporate in your wedding.

Nautical Theme: When I think of all things nautical I think of fresh, fun colors, stripes, and unique blends of fabrics and textures. The nautical theme is very traditional American, and with Anthropologie really embracing the nautical style this season it’s definitely on the leading edge of the latest trends.

Credits: Dresses by Anthropologie {www.anthropologie.com} and Betsey Johnson {www.BetseyJohnson.com}

Vintage American: With the vintage style still going strong in the wedding world you can’t go wrong with such American classics as Coca-Cola, classic cars and baseball incorporated into your Fourth of July wedding. To keep the day feeling more like a wedding than a party, however, I recommend going heavy on the red, with subtle navy accents, or vice versa, rather than using both colors strongly. It’s easy to score fun vintage finds that have pops of red or blue, and such items offer a beautiful and bright punch of color!

Credits Brandon Patoc Photography {http://brandonpatoc.com} Style Me Pretty {www.stylemepretty.com} Kelly Oshiro Events {http://www.kellyoshiroevents.com}, The Sweetest Occasion {thesweetestoccasion.com}

What’s Hot and What’s Not in Wedding Trends

by

There’s no doubt that 2010 and 2011 have brought huge changes to the wedding industry, and to wedding style. Gone are the days of picking two colors and calling that your theme. Brides are no longer stuffing their girls of varying shapes and sizes into the same style bridesmaid dress. Favors have become a very personalized item and are included as a part of the overall theme, or are otherwise forgone all-together. And, wedding photography and video are no longer just a nice snapshot of the day, but have become extremely artistic. While couples may have opted for a family member to take on some of the tasks such as photography or videography to save money in previous years, they are now really looking to professionals to create something dynamic and lasting.

Currently, we’re seeing that weddings are taking on a whole new life of their own, with most couples choosing more of a “theme” for their wedding rather than just a color scheme. Couples are looking to create an experience, something that will leave a lasting impression with their guests. By incorporating their hobbies, interest and passions into the wedding, couples are able to create a wedding that is truly unique, and that no other couple has done before.

Vintage style has been going strong for over a year now, and has the ability to stick around for a while, with an enormous plethora of styles, colors and themes to choose from within the vintage realm. Vintage style offers couples the ability to personalize a wedding a.) without going to great expense and b.) by really and truly finding unique elements to incorporate into their decor that reflect their personality. From antique typewriters to eclectic glass vessels for flowers to funky graphic design in invitations, people are really having fun with it. Color-wise, we’re seeing a lot of softer palettes, often used in natural surrounding such as back yards or barns. Couples are now combining multiple colors in the same tones, rather than just a few. We’re also seeing pops of brights against neutral backgrounds, with a fun mix of items used to bring those colors in, not just flowers.

Green weddings are still going strong as well. The use of recycled, reclaimed and repurposed items is happening everywhere you look. Couples are opting for the use of local grown flowers and produce, invitations printed on recycled papers and using items that already exist in their home, or are found in vintage stores and at garage sales for re-use. The realization that a wedding can leave a strong carbon footprint has steered couples away from excess. You can find and use carbon footprint calculators online to help you estimate just how un-environmentally friendly your wedding might be. (The Royal Wedding, although beautiful, was reported to have generated a carbon footprint that was approximately 12,000 times larger than that of a normal household’s yearly output.)

The word we most often hear when people describe what they want their day to be like is “comfortable”. Lounge-type seating, whether modern or vintage in style, will be sticking around for the long run. Making guests feel warm and invited is being achieved in new ways and will remain a priority. And, the unparalleled romantic feeling that overflows from todays extremely personalized weddings will no doubt stick around for the foreseeable future. If your style is contemporary, not to worry! In spite of the current vintage trend, it is just that, a trend. Contemporary and clean is always “in” and we anticipate a huge comeback in contemporary style weddings in 2012.