A Wedding Planned in Two Days Congratulations Aileen and Steve | Always and Forever Wedding Planning & Coordination

Friday started as an ordinary day. By mid afternoon I was planning a wedding for Monday for people I had never met and I was doing it for free.

I was asked by a friend for the name of a JP. Her sister’s fiancé was terminally ill, the prognosis was not good, and they wanted to get married at their home on Monday.

What happened next is a bit cloudy, as it happened so quickly. I was on the phone and the Iphone and Facebook. In 1 hour I had a JP, a photographer, hair and makeup, flowers, and a caterer. I was inches from finding a dress. All for free.

Our vendor partners are the best out there and we can not thank you enough.

On Saturday, the news came that the groom could not leave the hospital. We would have to have the wedding there. A few quick shifts and we were on for Monday at 6pm.

I will not lie. Yesterday was a rough day emotionally for me. My heart was breaking for a couple I had never met. I had no idea what to expect or how I would handle myself in the face of what I thought would be such sadness. What I did not expect was all the laughter. Of course, there were tears but there were more smiles than sobs and more chuckles than cries and I am a better person for being there.

Thank you to Heidi Hanson Photography, Harvest Café and Bakery, Exquisite Designs Floral, and Michelle Hebert. Emily’s Catering and Beauty Entourage deserve to be recognized for stepping up without hesitation on Friday. Although our plans changed, your offers should not go unnoticed.

I usually wish my couples many years of happiness, but I think I have changed my mind on that wish. This couple will not have many years but they still have much happiness. May your love at this moment be enough for all of your days. Congratulations Steve and Aileen

 

 

 

 

 

~ Dee Dee

 

Focus On A Giveaway | Always and Forever Wedding Planning & Coordination

It is funny how you can focus so strongly on something and then completely loose focus on other things.

We have severely neglected our blog lately. It is not that we have been too busy.

It is the off season. That means that we still work pretty darn hard.

There are weddings to plan but when there is a month or two without an actual wedding, we seem to shift focus. We work behind the computer screen a lot. It is just differnt.

With this shift of focus, we increased our Facebook link to out page activity.

Our daily 1 vs. 2 has been a hit with some of the posts getting viewed by over 1000 people. That is great for a small CT company and we are thrilled with all the new attention. I have been stalking our page, wondering how many hits we will get on each day’s post. The numbers are still good but our LIKES are not.

In all of the fun of the voting, I lost focus on getting more people to LIKE our page. It seems silly really. The more LIKES that you have, the more people that our posts will reach and the more people you reach, the more business you can generate. So it is time to Re-Focus and you can benefit from that. If you are reading this blog post it is probably because you have liked our Facebook page. So head over to our page  and follow these instructions. Share our page and get your friends to like our page. Have your friend post on our wall saying that you referred them. Once we reach 400, we will randomly choose one new LIKE and you and your friend will each win a $25 visa gift card.

DeeDee

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS | CT PREMIERE WEDDING PLANNER ALWAYS AND FOREVER

We know that the bliggity blog has been a little vacant lately.  Well we’re busy!  Really, really, uber ridiculously busy!  Just a little taste of what’s been going on…

Last week we were working with three of our current clients to get things done, crossed off, checked, to move on to the next big thing.  So one couple getting married next March, needed some assistance with finding a rabbi to do an interfaith wedding, had to get their STD’s out, needed to book a florist appointment, had to decide on having a ceremony in a tent due to the number of guests not fitting in the room of their venue…..All the while keeping mom and daughter from not trying to kill each other!

During the same time, we had a graphic designer working on an invitation for our lovely London couple, changing it to be more Scottish without full-fledge Scottish flair, revising a florist quote, getting out-of-town guest hotel room information and pricing,  and figuring out how many hair and makeup appointments….

During that same week we coordinated an engagement shoot at a local vineyard in Granby, Lost Acres.  Wow it is gorgeous!  (more to come on that will be blogging).  The whole shoot was based on this amazing etsy.com find, of a banner for the couple to use for their STD…well the couple was a little scattered that morning and forgot their banner!  Well, thanks to Dee Dee, she happened to have all the right things (in the trunk of her car) to make a STD banner…it was awesome…another reason why I love her so much…seriously who has a roll of burlap, yarn and fabric paint in their trunk???? (stay tuned for photos)….

During that same week, we picked up a new wedding, yes for this year 2012….Yes for August 25^th to be more accurate.  7 Weeks, 7 weeks to plan these awesome folks’ wedding, who live in Canada, won’t meet them officially until two days before their wedding.  So fast forward to tent appointments, catering appointments, florist appointments, invitation wording, STD wording, all that while they are planning a separate Canadian event for last weekend…

So just a little taste of last week…this week of course is a little quieter, just a little….happy July 4^th everyone!

Your (insert wedding vendor) is not a wedding planner! | Always and Forever, CT’s Premiere Wedding Planning Company

We sure have been quiet on the blog lately and we apologize. The planning season is in full swing and between appointments, design meetings, and contracts the blog has been neglected.

I have something that I would like to say and I hope that all of you that read this will pass this along to anyone you know that is getting married and may get married in the future.

I was told by a potential client that she no longer needed a planner since her caterer and DJ both said that they offer wedding planning as a part of their fee. I will be honest that this is something that I hear about more and more and as a planner, it bugs the heck out of me.

I will not go off on a rant about the many reasons that this is wrong in my mind but I will offer, any potential client for any wedding planner,  a list of questions to ask themselves when in this position

1. Will < insert random wedding vendor here> talk you through your guest list dilemma and help you figure out if Aunt Emily needs to be invited?
2. Will < insert random wedding vendor here> take your call at 9pm when your bridesmaid has told you that she shortened her dress 4 inches?
3. Will < insert random wedding vendor here> work through your competing dream themes and color palettes and help you find that look that is perfect?
4. Will < insert random wedding vendor here> call the other wedding vendors to discuss changes or additions to the contract?
5. Will < insert random wedding vendor here> review all the other vendor contracts for you?
6. Will < insert random wedding vendor here> be at your ceremony rehearsal to walk everyone through where to stand and when, all while calming your nerves the night before your wedding?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, then I am convinced your DJ is a wedding planner! If you answered No to just one, you may want to consider hiring an actual planner.

~ Dee Dee

REMEMBERING | ALWAYS AND FOREVER, LLC CT’S PREMIERE WEDDING PLANNERS

This afternoon I get to do one of my favorite things. I am getting together with past clients. It is strange to call them clients. Since their wedding we have stayed in touch; through email and Facebook. We get together when they are in town visiting family. They are no longer clients, they are friends.

The best part about today is that I get to meet their daughter. It is funny to me that a few years ago I was planning their wedding and now they are parents.

I LOVED planning their wedding. It was so much fun, and a little stressful, but mostly fun. Through the planning process we discovered that we all had a mutual love for the same movie, The Princess Bride. Tent cards with their favorite quotes decorated cocktail hour and they presented me with my favorite t-shirt with a quote from the movie. Every time I watch the movie, and I do often, I always think of their wedding.

As a planner, you don’t forget a wedding. You may forget the menu, the vendor that made things interesting, the guest that made things even more interesting, and some of the small details that made it individual. But what you don’t forget is the look on the bride’s face right before walking down the aisle and the groom’s look of excitement as he waits for his bride.  You don’t forget the people. The couple, and sometimes the parents, that you spend so much time with are forever part of you. Even if you do not keep in touch or see each other, you always think of them.

When I think of Jenn and Shawn, this is how I will always remember them….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(photo courtesy of No Eye has Seen)

I suspect this afternoon, there will be jeans and sneakers and the bouquet will be substituted with a diaper bag and as friends, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

~Dee Dee

WADSWORTH MANSION MIDDLETOWN, CT | CT’S PREMIERE WEDDING AND EVENT PLANNERS ALWAYS AND FOREVER, LLC

The Wadsworth Mansion is a 20,000 square foot Beaux Art mansion located on  103 acres of Olmsted designed landscape in central Connecticut. The Mansion is dedicated to providing a beautiful setting and creating unique, customized weddings and celebrations. Only one celebration is held each day and brides select a caterer to create the day of their dreams.  Ceremonies and cocktails can be held on the terrace or on the expansive manicured grounds. Many brides and grooms have danced their first dance under the stars.   Ballrooms exemplifying the Gilded-Age with marble fireplaces and coffered ceilings can accommodate 200 guests.  For larger events the terrace and lawn can be tented.

Wadsworth Mansion is absolutely stunning and one of our favorite venues for weddings.  The grounds are perfectly groomed and offer many opportunities to have both your ceremony and reception at one location, which is perfect for your guests.  We love the ladies of the Wadsworth as well. Easy to work with and a lot of fun, too! If you choose Wadsworth Mansion you are sure to have an amazing experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

421 Wadsworth Street
Middletown, Connecticut 06457

Phone:
860.347.1064

Fax:
860.343.5475

Email:
events@wadsworthmansion.com
Other Places to Find Wadsworth Mansion:
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Facebook
E-Brochure

CONNECTIONS | ALWAYS AND FOREVER, CT’S PREMIERE WEDDING AND EVENT PLANNERS

Two years ago I received a Linked In invitation from someone I didn’t know. I accepted because I thought that his business was one that I wanted to connect with. He accidentally sent the invite to anyone he had ever emailed and we had connected a year or so before getting rid of stuff on Freecycle.org. He sent an email apologizing for the mass invite and I responded back that I would love to stay connected since I thought we could build a great business relationship. Two years later, I am so very excited to be putting the final touches on an agreement with his business. This is an exciting time for us at Always and Forever and we cannot wait to share it with you all. Stay Tuned for the very exciting details and never give up the chance to make a connection. You never know what can happen!

~Deedee