Friday's Featured Business: Creative Custom Card Boxes

Happy Weekend everyone! I can't believe Friday is here already. And if you have been following our Friday blogs, then you know today we feature one of our favorite businesses and today that goes to Creative Custom Card Boxes!

Marni Gold is the owner and designer of Creative Custom Card Boxes. She created her company when she was planning her own wedding in 2008. Frustrated at not being able to find a unique and secure way to store the wedding envelopes at the reception, Marni decided to create her own eco-friendly card box that was simple yet elegant and matched with her wedding decor. She created this with her mother Linda, who has years of decor and entertaining experience. We love that!!

Today, Marni has created many boxes for every theme, and has even increased her product line to now offer Cake Table Decor Letters, Monograms/Logos and Monogram Cake Toppers. Creative Custom Card Boxes has also been featured on many blogs, Get Married, Style Me Pretty, New Jersey Bride Magazine and WE TV's Platinum Weddings! Just to name a few : )

Adding a card box is a great addition to a wedding, birthday, christening or any other event. Here's a peek at some of Marni's past work:

Have a great weekend everyone. We can't wait to see what the weekend inspiration brings us and we'll be sure to share them with you next week!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Northern New Jersey Wedding & Event Professionals Presents A Monster Bash!!

So if you know me, and have been reading our blogs, then you know that I, Aelicia and not to be confused with Rachael lol, loves the color red, fall and Halloween! So a networking event that involves one of my favorite holidays...you know I'm there!

Being held on October 27th at the Northern New Jersey hot spot 46 Lounge, you will definitely have a great time. Costumes are encouraged, and you know you all want to! Plus, it'll be fun to see everyone dressed up too....oh and did I mention there is a prize for best costume?!

Pre registration is only $5 and the first 30 registrants get 1 free drink ticket. Still not sure? How about knowing that there will be great finger food and a "spooktacular" swag bag for those that come early. So drinks, food, friends and you get to leave with a goodie bag.....why wouldn't you want to come!

You can click the link here http://nnjmonsterbash.eventbrite.com/ to register and get any other information you might be looking for. Have any questions, contact us.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Tips on Tuesday: Planning Your Honeymoon

Happy Tuesday everyone. We hope you all enjoyed the beautiful heatwave New Jersey had this weekend! The weather inspired today's blog.

Going on a honeymoon is the icing on a cake to a beautiful wedding (and a big reward for all that stressful planning!). Here are some tips from us to consider:

1) Keep in mind the times of "peak season". You will be paying more to go to a tropical island in January than you would in May.

2) Hurricane Season!! Ok, so this is really an extension from point 1. New Jersey knows all too well this year about Hurricane Irene and the complications and delays that can affect your wedding. Booking a honeymoon during this time period can be scary but not impossible. Going to a beautiful island is not out of the question. Just know where the hurricane borders are and the places that rarely get hit by them, like Aruba for example.

3) Think of your heritage. Are you from a big Italian family? Or maybe you have a European background. Visiting these countries for your honeymoon is a great way to learn more about your heritage and a beautiful backdrop for pictures!

4) Think All Inclusive. I know this may sound like a no brainer, but places like Hawaii, although extremely beautiful, rarely have all inclusive packages. Choosing a destination that has everything included allows you to sit back and really relax on your honeymoon instead of worrying about the money factor right after your wedding. And less face it, you already spent a lot for the wedding of your dreams. The honeymoon should be the "de-stresser" from all that planning!

5) Plan to leave mid week. There are so many travelers over the weekend. If you leave during the week, you can avoid all that craziness at the airport, adjust a little bit to married life and get a great deal too!

6) Think in the States. Maybe you can't afford to go to a tropical island at the moment. There are many gorgeous places right here in the states that you can go to and have just as amazing of a time. What about a spa resort in Arizona? Or even visit the beaches of Virginia Beach and San Diego.

Wherever and whenever you decide to go, we know you will have an amazing time. And we can't wait to see the pictures!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

A Special Happy Anniversary!!

If you know and follow us, then you know our love for weddings and planning them. You would also know my love for fall weddings! So it made sense that when I planned my wedding, it had to be in the fall....October 7th to be exact. Yep, today is my anniversary! Happy 6 year anniversary to my amazing and supportive husband. Want to know what a very own wedding planner's wedding looks like? Here's a look at what I did 6 years ago.

Planning the perfect wedding is always the first and only thing on a bride's mind. You do not have to have a huge budget, just a lot of creativity and an open mind. So you pick a date, colors and a theme and then the real planning begins.

Dave and I each come from a big family and have a lot of close friends. So having them all there was a no brainer. And so was picking the venue. The Graycliff in Moonachie NJ was the perfect choice. The ballroom was just renovated and the food is amazing. We knew how impressive the cocktail hour would be. We couldn't have been more excited!

If you know me, you know red is my favorite color and with having a fall wedding, it fit in perfectly. There were red in the bouquets, invitations and in the programs. And with accents of gold and ivory, everything had tied together beautifully.

I couldn't have been happier with my hair and makeup! Jan from The Plaza Salon in the Garden State Plaza did an amazing job on my hair and Jessica from Trish McEvoy made me look and feel incredibly beautiful!

For the ceremony, it was always a dream to get married outside and since The Botanical Gardens in Ringwood had a very special signifigance to Dave and I, we knew that there was no other place to have our ceremony. You can imagine our sadness when the rain had came through, but that didn't stop us! We just made sure that the ceremony was shortened before the storm really came in. And boy did we finish just in time!!

It was time to continue the celebration at the reception. Our 200 guests were greeted with champagne and then whisked away to the cocktail hour. Afterwards they were brought into the grand ballroom. Before we made our entrance, we surprised our guests with a special video put together that featured pictures from our childhood as well as from the years of when we were dating. It ended with a recap of our ceremony from that day, a special surprise since the ceremony took place on a Friday afternoon and we knew not many of our guests would not have been able to join us at that time. Immediately after, we had our first dance as husband and wife to Bryan Adams "Everything I do, I do it for You" and then it was non stop dancing! Our amazing band Opera 3000 played everything from, 50's to Spanish to Hip Hop! They had the dance floor packed the entire night. Following some wedding traditions as in the garter and bouquet toss, guests enjoyed the wedding cake filled with chocolate and peanut butter (because reese's peanut butter cups are me favorite!) along with an amazing dessert display featuring a chocolate fountain. Yumm!!

It was an amazing night filled with all of our loved ones. We were lucky to have an incredible photographer, Figtree Productions, and videographer, Ambiance Video, that helped capture all of the special moments that we go back and look at year after year. Since then, we have had many more wonderful memories including the birth of two amazing and beautiful children! Here's to many more years of love, health and happiness!

XOXO,

Aelicia

And a special thank you to all of the fabulous vendors that made my day even more memorable:

Venue: The Graycliff

Ceremony: The New Jersey Botanical Gardens

Hair: Jan from The Plaza Salon

Make-up: Jessica from Trish McEvoy

Photography: Figtree Productions

Videography: Ambiance Video

Florist: Floral Expressions

Officiant: Rev. John Michael

Band: Opera 3000

Friday's Featured Business: Marisol's Photography

Happy Friday everyone!! We will have two very special blogs today. The first one, our featured vendor for the week. And it goes to......Marisol's Photography!

I, Aelicia, recently had a family session with Marisol and let me tell you, pure amazement! Not only is she extremely professional, she is great with keeping the kids entertained, a feat we all know isn't that easy lol, as well as having an incredible eye for capturing the moment. She is great to work with and we couldn't have been happier with the results from our session.

Marisol has always had a passion for photography. That passion only grew even more when she started her own family. "Being a wife and mother has truly enhanced my already deep love of photography" Marisol has said. You can definitely see that in her work.

Whether you are looking for maternity, newborn or family pictures, you cannot go wrong by going with Marisol's Photography. Trust us! And don't wait, she is having an incredible discount going on for the month of October...just in time to take those adorable pictures of the kiddies in their costumes!!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Tips on Tuesday: How NOT to overcrowd your table

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today we are talking about your tables....and our suggestions on how to keep your guests eyes on the beauty and not the clutter.

Brides, we know how hard you have planned and worked on creating the wedding of your dreams. The perfect flowers, centerpieces, favors, etc. You wait for the big day to see it all put together and we know (and hope) it is more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. But....sometimes, what we see is....clutter.

So we want to help! Here are some tips on being able to get everything you want on your tables, with all your personal touches, without it looking too crowded and over filled.

1) Start by thinking about having different things at different tables. What many brides do not realize is that sometimes, venues use different size tables depending on the number of guests that will be seated there. If you have a table of 12 with centerpieces, favors, etc, then your table of 8 could be smaller and then all of the items you chose for your table will not fit. Make sure to check this with your venue.

2) We see many weddings having different centerpieces at different tables and it looks amazing! Your eye just keeps going all around the room from one beautiful centerpiece to another. But with that said, again make sure to adjust what goes on each table. Not every table needs 6 votives. Maybe some get more, some get less pending the size of your centerpieces.

3) Keep your favors small enough to fit next to a glass or on a small plate. This helps opening up space on the table. Allowing guests room for their cameras or purses.

4) Do a sample table. Set a table up at home. 12 plates, 12 water glasses. 12 wine glasses, a centerpiece, favors etc. See how it looks and how you can tweak it. Do you need 2 bottles of wine at each table? Maybe the table numbers should be on a stand taking up less space? What if you did smaller centerpieces on one table, what can be added? Or bigger centerpieces on another, what should be taken away?

5) Many couples have added donations as part of favors. Another piece added to a table. How about making one donation sign and place it by a sign in book or maybe your card box? Then give it your personal touch by announcing your choice of donation to all your guests.

Happy planning and enjoy your big day!!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

World Day of Bullying Prevention

Bullying and Cyberbullying is something that has unfortunately been very predominant in the media recently. With Rachael and I both having small children ourselves, bullying awareness has become very near and dear to our hearts. We will do anything we can to protect our children. That is why when we heard about Stomp Out Bullying's Blue Shirt Day to be held today, we knew we had to be apart of it.

The goal is to make October 3rd "the day that bullying and cyberbullying prevention are heard around the world by wearing a BLUE SHIRT in solidarity to STOMP Out Bullying". So of course, that is exactly what we did.

We wore our blue shirts in pride and are already looking forward to next year where we hope to encourage even more of our friends and family to do the same. If you wore a blue shirt today too, we'd love to see your pictures!

For more information about Stomp Out Bullying, please visit www.stompoutbullying.org. You can definitely expect us to be more apart of great organizations like this!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael