Yay! My Wedding Proofs Are In! I have 800 Pictures That I Love. Now What?!

The day has come and gone. The day you have planned for months and months is over. You are now left with all those amazing, breathtaking, wonderful memories. You talk about your wedding for days to come, still feeling magical. Then the day you have waited for, your proofs are in!! A reminder of every single moment of your wedding day, all captured in 600-1200 pictures. And this is when you realize, you thought planning the wedding was hard?! How can you possibly pick 60 pictures out of 800?! The task seems nearly impossible.

I was inspired to write this today after coffee with my girlfriends over the weekend and looking over proofs from one of my friends wedding. Almost 600 pictures that have to be cut down to 70. It seems so overwhelming...yet another wedding stressor! But it doesn’t have to be with a little help and some tips from us! With a little time and some planning and categorizing, your wedding album will tell the most beautiful story of your perfect day! So get some wine, sip it far away from your proofs, and enjoy telling the story about the day you married your best friend.

Here are some tips to help you along the way:

1) Get 4 different colored small sticky notes. 1 for "Yes", 1 for "Maybe", 1 for "No" and 1 for "Do Not Use" (eyes closed, not looking etc). Start by marking every single picture you like and every one that is a Do Not Use. After you mark them, count what you have so you know where you are starting at.

2) Break down the day by category in chronological order. For example:
The proposal (ring, invites etc)
Attire
Bride getting ready
Bride
Bride with her family, bridesmaids, MOH, flower girls
Groom
Groom with family, groomsmen, best man, ring bearer
Ceremony
Bride and Groom
Family and Bridal Party
Reception with traditional events: dances, cake cutting etc)
Candids
Dancing

3) Keep going back through all of the yes’ and little by little move them to maybes and no’s always counting so you know how you are doing.

Also remember that your photographer will help with picking pictures and the layout and size of pictures, that is what they are there for and what they love doing. So when you have a pretty good idea of how you want the album to look, make an appointment with your photographer to make all the final touches. Be prepared, this appointment can be 2 hours long pending how big of an album you have.

We hope these tips inspire you to create the wedding album you now dream about…or have nightmares about lol...and enjoy it for the many many years to come!

‘True love stories never have endings’.  ~Richard Bach

XOXO,
Aelicia and Rachael

Wish Upon A Wedding New Jersey Launches

Last night, Rachael and I attended the launch party for Wish Upon A Wedding New Jersey. What an amazing turn out. It was so wonderful to see so many vendors come together to support such a fantastic organization.

We entered this business because we love what we do and how happy we can make a client on one of their most important days of their lives. This organization takes that to a whole new level. These couples in need are so inspiring and the fact that Wish Upon A Wedding provides them with the wedding of their dreams is truly beautiful.

We are so touched by what they do that submitting our names to be apart of their Wish Granters Group was an easy decision. We are very honored and proud to be supporters of Wish Upon A Wedding.

Go to www.wishuponawedding.org to find out how you can help.

Love,
Aelicia and Rachael

So Do I Really Need An Event Planner.....

....And the answer is YES!

Hiring an Event Planner, whether it be for your wedding, birthday party or any other special event, can be such a life saver. We know what you are thinking: "Why should I pay someone when I can do it myself". Here are our top 5 reasons why:

1. Working with a professional can keep you on your budget! We can work with you on a detailed plan of what is most important to you and make sure your budget is allocated appropriately.

2. We have a great knowledge of some wonderful, qualified vendors that we can recommend that will suit your style and budget.

3. Have a vision for your event or not even sure what you want your look to be? We can help you think outside the box and develop a design that reflects you.

4. Hiring a planner can save you hours and hours and hours of time! Believe it or not, planning an event can take up to 200 hours of your time. It almost feels impossible when you work full time and may have kids to take care of on top of that. We take on the brunt of the work leaving you more time to focus on some other important things in your life!

5. STRESS RELIEVER!!! We take care of all the details allowing you to sit back and enjoy your event with your loved ones.


We would love to work with you and helping make your event a work of AART! To set up your complimentary consultation, give us a call at 201-873-4921, 201-315-8747 or send us an email at aarteventplanning@gmail.com.

Aelicia and Rachael

Romantic Giveaway

It was a wonderful holiday season and you have the ring to prove it! We want to celebrate with you by giving away some amazing discounts to three lucky winners. Here is all you have to do:

Giveaway Details
Tell us about your engagement and how he proposed. If you have a picture, show us! Submit entry to aarteventplanning@gmail.com and enter "Romantic Giveaway" in the subject.

Contest Prize
Grand prize winner will receive $300.00 off of their package choice.
Second runner up will receive $200.00 off of their package choice.
Third place runner up will receive $100.00 off of their package choice.

Contest will run from 1.3.2011 to 2.28.2011 and winners will be announced on 3.4.2011.

Congratulations to all the newly engaged couples and we cannot wait to read your beautiful stories!

*Winners must use prize discount toward their own event. Cannot be combined with any other ongoing promotions. Winners must sign contract with AART Event Planning and discount will be applied at the signing of the contract.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today's blog is a little different. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we'd like to talk about our family and what we are thankful for. We hope you enjoy!


As mother's and wives, my sister and I have a lot to be thankful for. First, we both have amazing husbands that work hard and allow us to follow our dreams of being Event Designers/Planners. And secondly, we each have been blessed with two beautiful children.

















Rachael has two adorable little boys ages 2 1/2 years and 5 months old. With their blonde hair and big blue eyes, they will sure to be melting hearts in the years to come! My 2 1/2 year old nephew, who I am honored to also call my godson, definitely keeps my sister on her toes! He already loves his sports and even at 2, you can tell he is one talented little boy. I can already tell that the newest little Lukas will be just like his older brother!












I have been blessed with a beautiful 3 year old daughter and most recently my 3 month old son. I definitely have one sassy little princess and one smile from my son and I melt like butter lol! Needless to say, they have me and my husband wrapped around their little fingers. They both are so smart and I am constantly amazed by what they learn everyday.




We are so lucky that our children are close in age and will grow up together and have this special bond. Our families mean the world to us. Our children inspire us everyday. It is just one of the many things we are thankful for. So again, in honor of Thanksgiving this Thursday, we just want to express how thankful we are for our families and friends, everyone's health and happiness and how thankful we are to be able to do what we love to do as our job. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families and may there be plenty of blessings in your future.

Love,
Aelicia and Rachael

An Elegant Halloween Themed Wedding

Halloween is a favorite holiday of ours. We love all the decorations and of course seeing all the kids dressed up in all these adorable costumes. But who says you can;t enjoy Halloween as an adult? If you are a kid at heart, then a Halloween themed wedding is perfect for you! And there is an elegant way of doing it.

A Halloween wedding doesn't have to be held on Halloween, just as long as it is as close to Halloween as possible. And to keep it more true to a Halloween rather than fall theme, we love the purple, black and silver color scheme.

For something like this, planning ahead can be a real money saver. You can get a lot of wonderful Halloween accessories on clearance after Halloween. Things to look out for to fit within your color scheme are deep purple novelty candles with silver accents (we found beautiful ones at Michael's), black candle holders and Halloween themed goblets to use as toasting glasses...just to name a few.




You can achieve a beautiful, dramatic elegant wedding with the decorations you choose. Start off by using deep purple table lines and napkins with a silver lace overlay. Your centerpieces can be done in various heights. For tall arrangements, use branches dyed black, suspend votive candles and have a variety of flowers at the bottom in different hues of purple such as lilac roses and deep purple calla lilies. The smaller centerpieces can be comprised of black candelabras or candle holders with purple candles (the ones that you purchased on clearance) and have them settled on mirrors with votive candles by the base. Finish the look with personalizing the table numbers and naming each table after a specific place from a horror film. The possibilities are truly endless.




For the Bride's bouquet, don't be afraid to be dramatic. Use deep purple calla lilies or black roses. Add some fun touches like black feathers or black or silver branches. For the bridesmaids, use a lighter hue of purple like lilac roses and incorporate the same black feathers or branches. (the above photos courtesy of Brides.com)

What wedding wouldn't be complete without a cake! You can be just as dramatic here as you were with the other decorations. You can have the cake covered in purple fondant. Or possibly all white or silver with a black lace decoration on each layer and purple sugar flowers. You can even forego the traditional cake all together and opt for cupcakes in yoru color scheme!

Whatever you decide to do, it will sure to be memorable! Now I'm thinking a renewal of vows in a purple and black color scheme is in my future : )

Aelicia & Rachael

Fall Centerpieces

We love fall! The beautiful colors, wonderful weather. I mean, what's not to love? As promised, we are talking about everything fall this month and we are starting off with some exceptional centerpieces!!

We start off with this unique piece. We love this. This is a great centerpiece for the one that is not only into the fall colors, but loves all the traditional decor that comes with autumn...such as pumpkins! You start with a large pumpkin in the middle thats filled with yellow and orange flowers, such as roses and calla lilies. This centerpiece even has berries added as an accent. Surround this with smaller pumpkins and candles in orange votives and you have a beautiful fall decoration.


Now if you liked the first pumpkin centerpiece, you'll love this one! We love this idea for any event happening towards the end of October. As with the picture above, your main piece is the large pumpkin. Instead of filling it with flowers, it is carved like a traditional halloween pumpkin would be. This one is carved with the letter "B" but how cute would it be with the couples monogram? Place a candle inside and surround it with your favorite fall pieces and your all set!



These next two centerpieces are becoming more popular for fall. We love the branches. Its simplistic and elegant and yet there are so many things you can do with it. Hang crystals from the branches (as in the first picture) and you have a beautiful glistening effect. Or use branches with different colored maple leaves and you have a room filled with color. The vases can be filled with round stones which is so different, beautiful orchids (and there are some great orange options out there) and even mini pumpkins, pinecones and acorns.






This last centerpiece we found is so different and something that we are in love with. If you know us, then you know we love pictures (enter Rachael's beautiful picture card box that she had at her wedding!). What a great way to show a couple in love by having pictures shown throughout the room. Here a square glass vase is used and a picture of the couple have been placed on each side. Fill it with the flowers of your choice and you have a beautiful centerpiece. Now since we love this so much, why not take it a step further? This can also be used as the bottom piece of the centerpiece and have branches coming out from the middle, or another ball of flowers at top for a topiary look. Anything can be done with this particular style. You can also use this at any event: child's 1st birthday party with pictures of them throughout their first year, or how about a baby shower and the pictures are of the parents to be when they were babies? The options are endless!! (Can you tell that this is one of our favorite centerpieces!)



We hope you have found some inspiration for your next event. We would love to see the pictures!

Aelicia & Rachael