Thursday, May 31, 2012

Summer Wedding Inspiration Board - Coral & Khaki


Today’s inspiration board is inspired by summertime! I love the summer and coral is a great color for a summer wedding.  Coral can easily be paired with many colors in the spectrum. Coral and Aqua is a very popular color combo for summer weddings and destination weddings.  This inspiration board is a combination of Coral and Khaki for the easy, breezy summer wedding.

Photo Credits: 1) Pinterest 2) Lover.ly 3) Lover.ly
4) Baysidebride.com 5) Lover.ly 6)  Highheelsandmoccasin.com 
 Do you need some help getting inspired for your wedding? Send me your wedding colors and theme at DJoseph@weddedluxe.com  and I will create an inspiration board just for you!! 

Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha  Joseph
Wedded Luxe
718.938.4713

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Want to Attend a Bridal Show in New York City?



I will be attending the Great BridalExtravaganza on June 11, 2012 at the 3 West Club!! Now this will not be just me standing at my booth handing you my business card. I will be hosting a Q & A panel to answer all your wedding planning questions and giving you solutions to your wedding planning dilemmas.  There is no question of limits so come ready to get your questions answered.  

I am also giving a way my latest floral bouquet design to one lucky bride and trust me you are going to want this bouquet for your wedding.  Register to get your tickets and you will automatically be entered to win a 8 day 7 night vacation to the Caribbean!! So get ready to a fun night out and get all the wedding planning information you need to plan your special day.  

Feeling shy? Just send me your question at info@weddedluxe.com and I will answer it anonymously at during the panel! 

Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha  Joseph
Wedded Luxe
718.938.4713





Thursday, May 24, 2012

How to Use Pinterest to Plan Your Wedding


I finally joined the rest of the world and joined Pinterest.  If you haven’t heard of Pinterest yet, (this is highly unlikely) then let me tell you all about it.  Pinterest is the newest social media craze to hit the web.  You can make pinboards (collages) of pretty little things you find on the web.  At first, I didn’t want to join.  I couldn’t take yet another social media item to keep up with. Then one day I was on twitter and someone I followed showed this cool picture that they added to their board.  I took the bait and signed up.  I loved it from day one and quickly realize what everyone else has been buzzing about. 

The reason I like Pinterest is I’m constantly looking for inspiration and when I find it I would copy and paste the picture, email it to myself and then go back to it later.  Pinterest gives me my instant gratification that I need. I see it, I like it, I pin it! I can move on to the next cool thing and come back to my Pinboards for inspiration at another time.  I also like it because I can find inspiration for my personal interest without even working at it.  I love to travel, I’m semi into fashion and I love beautifully decorated homes but I don’t buy any of these magazines.  With Pinterest the inspiration now comes to me.  Like this gorgeous military jacket that I would have never found on my own.  




I also don't have the time to surf every wedding website for inspiration.  With Pinterest, I don't have to because the people I follow are doing some of the searching for me.  Look at these cute pancake appetizers! Perfect for a brunch wedding.  





I highly recommend brides to sign up on Pinterest to get inspiration for their wedding.  You can create your boards and when you go visit your potential vendors, you can show them your inspiration instantly.  If you already have a wedding planner, designer, florist, etc, they can follow your pins for your wedding inspiration.  No more emailing 100’s of pictures to them, just Pin It!!  


You can follow me here on Pinterest and see what I’m Pinning about!  



Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha  Joseph
Wedded Luxe
www.weddedluxe.com
718.938.4713

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Celebrate Your Culture with Your Wedding Cocktail Hour



Adding your favorite food to your cocktail hour is a great way to Celebrate Your Culture on your wedding day.  Let your guests enjoy some of the culinary delights from your culture or both cultures if you’re blending two families together. 


Fish Cakes

One of my favorite appetizer that I have at almost every family occasion are fish cakes.  Fish Cakes are made with salted cod fish or commonly called "bacalao" in Spanish speaking Caribbean islands.  It’s like a crab cake but with salted cod fish and it’s delicious! That’s just a little cooking lesson for those who don’t know what it is.  For those brides out there that know and love fish cakes , this is a subtle way to Celebrate Your Culture at your wedding during the cocktail hour.  It’s also a culinary delight that everyone will love no matter where they are from.  Many different cultures have their own variation of a fish cake.  So where ever you are from and however you prepare it, don’t be afraid to add this to your Wedding Cocktail Hour! People enjoy familiar, comfort foods at weddings.  



Are you trying to Celebrate Your Culture for your wedding? I would love to hear all about it. Send me your ideas DJoseph@weddedluxe.com  and I will feature it on the blog?



Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha  Joseph
Wedded Luxe
718.938.4713  

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Inspiration Board - New Year's Eve Wedding


If I’m going to pass around New Year’s Eve wedding planning advice then it is only right that we have some New Year’s Eve inspiration to go with it.  I love New Year’s Eve and a wedding on the biggest night of the year is amazing to me.  For one, I love to get dressed up and people always dress up for weddings.  A New Year’s Eve wedding will only inspire the best dressed.  For me, a New Year’s Eve wedding is black tie required.  Here’s my New Year’s Eve Inspiration board!

Photo Credit: 1) TheKnot, 2) Instyle Weddings 3) TheKnot, 4) TheKnot,
5) Project Weddings 6) Oh Lovely Day, 7) TheKot

Tip: Black Tie does not mean Black and White attire is required.  It simply means women wear long gowns and men wear black or dark tuxedos or suites with a tie.  I just love a Black & White Wedding and I think New Year's Eve is the best opportunity to get your guests to wear it without much complaints. 

Bonus: Want to guide your wedding guests on what black tie means? Put an explanation on your wedding website.  When you send your Save The Dates, simply add your wedding website.  On the site you can add a section letting your guests know your wedding will be black tie required and what that means.  

Do you need some help getting inspired for your wedding? Send me your wedding colors and theme at DJoseph@weddedluxe.com  and I will create an inspiration board just for you!! 

Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha  Joseph

Wedded Luxe
www.weddedluxe.com
718.938.4713


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

How To Plan A New Year's Eve Wedding


Summer is just around the corner but we are a little over 6 months away from New Year's Eve.  In real life this means nothing other than you have 6 more months to work on that resolution you made.  In the wedding world, this means you need to move fast to start or finish up your wedding plans on the biggest night of the year.  To successfully pull of a New Year's Eve Wedding here are some helpful wedding planning tips to help you out.




1) Send Save The Dates - It doesn't matter what day of the week New Year's Eve is, you must send your guests save the dates because people always make plans.  Even if those plans mean staying in, people usually have a tradition or some kind of ritual on how they bring in the New Year so give them at least 6 months heads up that this year you would like them to spend their New Year with you.


2) Book Your Vendors ASAP - New Years Eve is a very popular day to get married. There are 52 Saturday nights but there is only one New Year's Eve.  Your favorite venue may be taken before you know it. Your vendors may also book fast or  they may not even work on New Year's Eve. You want to know as early as possible what your options are so look fast and book as soon as you find the right vendors for you.


3) Increase Your Budget - Plan to spend a little more than you expected for a New Year's Eve Wedding.  Many venues and vendors charge a little more for holiday weddings.  You are probably thinking why but think of them just like other employees.  Most people
that work on a holiday will get paid time and half, it's the same concept. 



4) Ceremony Location - Your ceremony will probably not be able to happen in your house of worship.  There are usually special services to bring in the New Year.  So if this is an important factor for you may want to reconsider having a New Year's Eve
Wedding. Find out if they are willing to perform your ceremony earlier in the day before the New Year's Eve services begin.  I highly suggest having your ceremony in the same location as your reception.  This will avoid you and your guests getting stuck in traffic.  Choose an officiant early to guarantee availability.  



5) Make It Worth Wild - You don't want to invite your guests to just another wedding.  You want to make it worth ditching their usually New Year's Eve plans.  Make the night full of unexpected surprises and like no other wedding they have ever been to.  Make your menu interesting, have band and a DJ or give them a view of the fireworks they never get to see.  Whatever it is, you want to make it memorable.  
 Bonus!Now if you are getting married New Year's Eve 2012 I hope you have
already done the first 3 tips.  There is still time for tip number 4.  If you are getting married New Year's Eve 2013, then now is a good time to start planning because it falls on a Thursday and Thursdays are now becoming a very popular day to get married
Do you need tips on how to wow your wedding guests for your New Year's Eve wedding? Send me an email at
DJoseph@weddedluxe.com  and I will help you get started.

Live.Laugh.Love…..Luxuriate!



Deniesha  Joseph
Wedded Luxe
Tweet Me - Like Me - Pin Me
718.938.4713

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Celebrate Your Culture - How To Hire The Right Wedding DJ




Have you ever been to a wedding and the DJ played the one or two cliche songs that are suppose to represent your culture that everyone in your family hates because it's cliche to play that song? We've all been there at some point.  The DJ that promised to cater to all types of music really only knows the songs they hear on the radio. They don't really know the music that your family and friends know and love.  I never hire DJ's that cannot name their specialty.  I'm sorry but everyone has one and they should know what it is.  I have a specialty. I plan and design weddings for couples that wish to celebrate their culture and their personal style as well.  Yes, there are DJ's that know all types of music and have a great selection but that doesn't mean they are the expert wedding DJ for your culture.

You want to hire the expert wedding DJ.  Choosing the right DJ that will properly represent your culture can be tricky.  Most DJ's say they can play anything and if you have any songs you want to hear at your wedding you can simply give them the list and they will make it happen.  Well that's not what you want for your wedding.  You want a DJ that is familiar with your culture's style of music, knows which songs are a hit and can execute with out a hitch.  The DJ that will make this happen is the DJ that specializes in the genre of music you are looking for as well as know the top 40 hits that everyone loves.  How do you find the perfect DJ? Here are three tips:


DJ Kaos - Great club DJ and Weddings!! Check him out! 


1) The DJ at your favorite bar or night club probably DJ's weddings as well.  Don't hesitate to ask them for their contact information and reach out to them.  Just make sure they have wedding experience as well.


2) If you had really good time at your friend's or family's wedding, ask them for a referral.  Previous brides are usually a good source for vendors. 


3) Most vendors advertise in their niche market.  Check blogs, online resources and magazines that cater to you culture for the DJ or entertainment companies that advertise there. 




Do you need help on how to hire the best vendors for to fit your wedding?  Send me an email at DJoseph@weddedluxe.com  and I will give you some tips!!



Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha  Joseph
Wedded Luxe
www.weddedluxe.com
718.938.4713


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

How To Take Your Wedding Ideas to Wedding Reality


I recently read an article on TheKnot "30 Ways To Wow Your Wedding Guests" with some great tips on how to make sure your wedding is not another cookie cutter wedding.  There were some good ones I must say but they didn't give you the logistics behind how to make some of these wow factors work.  So like any good wedding planner would, I'm going to give you the behind the scene action you didn't get from the article so you will know how to make it happen for your wedding.

One of my favorite tips was instead of using traditional escort cards, TheKnot suggested having Reception Ushers to show your guests to their tables.  I love this idea, I'm always about the wow factor.  To make this work you need a couple of key ingredients: 




1) A hostess to greet your guests and let them know someone will take them to their table shortly. They can direct the traffic and let the ushers know which table to escort your guests to. You don't want the ushers walking around with papers looking for names.  

2) For every 20 guests you need at least 1 usher. So if you have 200 guests, you should have 10 ushers.  This will keep the your guests moving into the dinner smoothly. Everyone should be seated within 10 to 15 minutes.  

3) If you are having your wedding reception at a traditional banquet or hotel, you should run your idea past your maitre D or banquet manager.  They can help you execute but they may charge you for the extra staffing.

4) If you are getting married in non-traditional setting (loft style) then I hope you hired a wedding planner and they will help execute as well.  They may also have to hire extra staffing to execute flawlessly. 

There are many great wedding planning tips and ideas out there but you have to remember, the key to a great idea is the execution.  Bring your wedding idea to a wedding professional, whether it is your wedding planner or banquet manager and fill them in on your wedding ideas.  They will give you great tips on how to make sure your idea turns out exactly how you envisioned it.
 

Do you have a wedding planning idea that you want to wow your guests? Send me an email at  DJoseph@weddedluxe.com  and I will give you some wedding planning advice on how to make it work!! 


Live.Laugh.Love….. Luxuriate!

Deniesha  Joseph
Wedded Luxe
www.weddedluxe.com
718.938.4713