At that meeting, we discussed a way to include our other child, Roxy (aka “the pug”) into our renewal ceremony. Roxy is adorable, but she also snorts, snarfs and barks when she is excited and I feel that having her at the renewal would be too much for this 9 year old girl. :) So, I’ve asked Liz and Ryan (aka Elizabeth Ryan Photography) to do a little photo shoot with the diva! You’ll have to wait and see how this gets incorporated into the ceremony, but needless to say, I know the photos will be adorable.

New vendor update! For the ceremony and cocktails, we will be having a string trio from Chesapeake Strings. While I was at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club bridal show Chesapeake Strings was in the Tavern Ballroom playing. So, I got to listen to them for a few hours, playing everything from Pachelbel to the Beatles to Coldplay. Really, that’s a huge variety of music and it all sounded great!  So, check that off the list — deposit and contract in the mail!

Lastly, I’ve been having a wonderful time sharing ideas back and forth over Facebook and Pinterest with Sarah from Intrigue Design & Decor. So, I guess I’m also announcing that Intrigue will be designing the flowers for the renewal! Yay!! I’ve worked with Sarah and Melissa for years and we always collaborate so effortlessly. I’m happy to have them on board “the team”. Here are a few pictures that we’ve been passing back and forth:

I’m off to Disney World with the family next Wednesday, so there will be no blog post.  But, I’ll be back the following Wednesday with another interview with one of my vendors! Yay!   Have a great week!

Q: Being in the industry, I love weddings, but I always want to know why others love weddings too!  Why do you?
A: I love LOVE! I really feel like I have the best job in the world. I get to bear witness to so much love and one of the most special and memorable days in a person’s life. The love of the couple, the love from their friends and families, it is just too amazing to describe. I get to wake up every day excited about what I do and there is nothing more inspiring than that!

Q: What is unique about Divine Transformation Wedding Officiants?
A: Our philosophy, which you can read at: http://www.divinetransformation.com/why-choose-us/ Also,All of my officiants go through an extensive training to become officiants. They don’t just get ordained online and show up for a wedding. They invest a lot of time into honing their skills and becoming the very best at what they do. We all share the same philosophy… our job is not to make a couple adhere to our belief systems. Our job is to create a highly personalized ceremony that is a reflection of that particular couples beliefs, desires, and wishes. We have been in business for nearly a decade and have been providing 5 star award-winning wedding services since our founding.

Q: Do you like when clients personalize their ceremonies?  Do you have any good stories of something a client has done to make the ceremony their own?
A: We encourage every client to personalize their ceremony with something that is meaningful for them.  I have so many really cool things that couples have done.  To name a few:  a box of memories that each person in the family came and put a gift in, a love letter ceremony, a lemon tree ceremony, their own special dance down the aisle with the bridal party.  I could go on and on.

Q: Are there any ceremony trends that you are seeing more of now?  Is the sand ceremony still popular?  Unity candles?  Something new?
A: Everyone loves having friends do readings and that hasn’t changed.  People are still choosing the sand ceremony and unity candles because they are now considered ‘classic’.  A lot more people are choosing to write their own vows and do things that incorporate guests and wedding party.  There seems to be a movement away from just the couple participating in the ceremony.  Often times family and guests are now participating in really cool ways.

Q: Do you have a favorite moment during a wedding?
A: The look on the faces of the couple as their eyes meet for the first time at the start of the ceremony.

Q: When you aren’t standing at the altar, what do you like to do with your time?
A: Anything with a spiritual/self-development focus.  I teach yoga and am also an energy worker.  I have a deep personal spiritual practice so I enjoy reading, meditating, spending time with loved ones, and spending time in nature.  When it is not prime wedding season I am often off on silent meditation retreats.  It’s pretty funny because when you think about it I alternate between speaking all the time to not speaking at all.   I believe in doing what you love, and I love a lot of things… too many to name here :)

Q: I just did this to Elizabeth Ryan Photography and I and now I’m asking you too…describe your business in five words.
A: Fun, Creative, Dependable, Open-Minded, Professional

Studio Assistant
Allison Barnhill Designs is adding a new member to our creative team. The ideal candidate would be detail oriented, creatively inclined, love weddings and paper, and enjoy a fun and fast paced work environment.

Duties would include:
– Supporting the cutting, printing and assembly of invitations and other stationery
– Assisting with client management and scheduling
– Performing general office duties that may include filing, supply management, shipping
orders, answering phones, returning emails and greeting clients on arrival

We would love our new team member to:
– Be proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel
– Be able to multi-task
– Have a positive attitude and good organizational skills
– Be willing to learn new tasks
– Have a love of design or graphic design experience/education

Full time salary position
Required to work in our Annapolis studio during standard weekday business hours

Interested? Email your resume and/or any questions to info@allisonbarnhilldesigns.com.

                              Join the ABD Girls!!! 

Elizabeth Ryan Photography
Intrigue Design and Decor
Fiona’s Cakes
Relysh Catering
Travel Bug, LLC
MyDeejay
Up Do’s for I Do’s
Bayside Bride
Eventi Planning
JLowe Photos
About Smiles Denistry

In addition to the vendors, there are so many other wonderful people who have helped make this happen:
:: My amazing ABD girls…for hanging in there this week, making promo packs (their least favorite task) and ooh-ing and aah-ing over all of my DIY projects
:: My phenomenal husband Tom…for putting up with me, running last minute errands, helping with set up and missing the event so he can watch A&L
:: My adorable kids…for hanging out at the studio longer than they wanted and being my biggest cheerleaders!

What is the oddest task you’ve had to take on as a wedding coordinator?

As a wedding planner, I have seen it all. Well, maybe not everything but quite a bit! When I meet with couples for the first time, I’m often asked “What is it you do, exactly?”. My normal response, is “Everything!”. I, of course, do the typical tasks: setting up the escort cards, laying out the programs, lining up the bridal party for the ceremony/reception and keeping everything on schedule. Then, there are the unusual tasks that somehow end up in my lap. I have plunged a men’s bathroom toilet and even driven home a left behind grandmother! A good wedding planner will do whatever it takes to make sure their client’s wedding day goes smoothly.

Find out more about Eventi Planning on her website and when you stop by our event on Sunday, pick up a swag bag with some goodies from Eventi Planning too!

1.  Are you designing more traditional cakes or are brides opting to reflect their themes and colors?   Today’s bride is most certainly opting to reflect their theme and more importantly to them, their colors.  Colors like their flowers, bridesmaids dress, table décor, linens, even neckties and wedding invitations pulls everything together.  Often the bridesmaids bouquets sit around the cake when they arrive at the reception. 

2.  What is your most popular cake flavor?  The most popular cake flavor, for a wedding, is still vanilla cake with a raspberry type filling, since couples are considering what their guests might like and usually remain conservative vs. going with something like hazelnut or coconut which might not be everyone’s favorite. The big trend is offering guest choices of different cake and filling combinations.

3.  Do you have a favorite cake you’ve designed?  I really don’t have a favorite cake design since they are all beautiful in their own way.  A simple cake design can look just as beautiful as an elaborate one.

4.  Any trends that you are seeing right now in cakes?   The trend I see, in a big way, is moving away from having a fondant cake.  Couples are coming to realize that fondant very expensive, but it does not taste very good and most guests choose not to eat it.  A colorful ribbon look is very popular whether it’s around the base of each cake tier or crossing around the cake at different angles.  A simple elegant chic look is often chosen over a lacy or basket weave design.

Be sure to drop in and grab a yummy cupcake by Fiona’s Cakes on Sunday.  Just email us at info@allisonbarnhilldesigns.com, if you want to attend.

Every bride dreams of a platinum wedding, but not every bride has a platinum budget. Utilizing our experience and expertise – we make sure you are spending your money where it will be most effective. We make the budget reality and dream wedding meet somewhere in the middle. We have found that by strategically pairing flowers, paper and décor you can have the wedding you dreamed of without sacrificing your design.

Intrigue’s custom floral designs will maximize your budget. We will be on hand on Sunday afternoon during Stop by Sunday to offer suggestions and answer questions. Just email info@allisonbarnhilldesigns.com to let us know you will be attending the event!

Photo Credit: Photography by Alexander

A few weeks ago I turned to Ryan and said, I think we need to write a book. We need to share all of these life lessons we have learned from being a part of so many weddings! So, when Allison asked us to share a little something on her blog, we figured this is the perfect place to start! Maybe a book will come later! ;) Thanks Allison for the opportunity to share…

Advice from photographers: A few things we think every bride and groom should know before their wedding day.

1. “You are unrepeatable. There is a magic about you that is all your own…” – D.M. Dellinger Your wedding day is YOUR day! Forget about what everyone else tells you to do. If you want to get married in the morning and hold the reception in the evening, do it. If you want to have the most spectacular candy bar ever at your reception, then by all means do it (don’t forget the sour patch kids) ;). This is the one day that all the attention is on you. Make it your own. Make it a day you will never forget.

2. “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life” – Omar Khayyam Time goes a lot faster on your wedding day… seriously, the clock moves with an extra beat! When planning out your wedding schedule, be sure to build in extra time for things like traveling from the venue to reception and grabbing a bite to eat before walking down the aisle. Most importantly, be sure to build in at least 5 to 10 minutes just to take it all in with your new husband/wife. Often, the day flies by so quickly that brides and grooms don’t get a chance to truly soak in the moment that they are married. Our recommendation, build in a few minutes immediately after the ceremony just for you and your new spouse to take a private moment, breathe and relax, hug each other, and soak in the fact that you are married!

3. “Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it.” – Peterson Surround yourself by incredible people! When planning your wedding, choose wedding professionals to be a part of your day that you want to be surrounded by… especially when choosing your wedding photographers!!! Other than your wedding planner, your photographer is the one wedding vendor that will be with you the entire day. Be sure to choose vendors you connect with, share values with, and who are fun to be around. The better you fit with your vendors the more relaxed and fun you will have on your wedding day.

4. “Life is what happens while we are making other plans.” – Allen Saunders Don’t sweat the small stuff. Weddings are such a whirlwind of activity and excitement. Something is bound to go differently than you originally planned. However, 99% of the time, you are going to be the only one to know that something unexpected happened. If something does occur, just take a deep breath and go with it. Have FUN!

5. “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” – Unknown Think outside of the box! Dream about your dream day and then make it happen! Ask for assistance… reach out to wedding professionals to help you along the way! I can’t speak for all wedding professionals, but I know that we LOVE talking weddings… especially when we are able to help make someone’s dream a reality!

Elizabeth and Ryan are a husband and wife photography team with a passion for life, photography and each other. See their amazing work at Elizabeth Ryan Photography and on their blog too!

Or come meet them in person at our event…this Sunday, July 10th from 1pm to 3pm. Just RSVP to info@allisonbarnhilldesigns.com. See you there!

** Photo by JLowe Photos **

** Photo by JLowe Photos **

** Photo by Hamilton Photography from our Boutique line of invites **

 
** Photo by Elizabeth Ryan Photography **