My Bridal Shower

I know I am very late with this post, but I finally finished with finals and are catching up on all my blog postings...

My Mom and Bridesmaids hosted my Bridal Shower at Grove Isle Hotel and Spa on October 24, 2009. It was truly a beautiful event, even with the rain. I was very involved (couldn't help myself). I came up with the design and decor of the event with help from Ana at AB Cover Designers and Rosie at Elegant Temptations. Since the fall is my favorite season, I choose to use the colors of October as an inspiration for the decor. As favors, I gave fall scented mini candles, which were decorated like the centerpieces (all with the help of my future family, bridesmaids, and friends). The centerpieces were created with the help of Nikki (one of the bridesmaids). I choose fall foliage and flowers to compliment the season. The vibrant colors of reds, yellows, browns, and greens accented the decor perfectly. And of course, Greg and Heidi from Gregory Paul Photography was there capturing every special moment and detail.

It was an event to remember, with music by Juan Areco, to create a fun and festival mood. My bridesmaids surprising me with very creative trivia games about Tito and I really got everyone bonding. It was a wonderful afternoon spent at one of the most beautiful hotels in Miami. I couldn't have asked for anything more. I am very blessed!

Thank You Mom, Caro, Mimi, Ana, Bianca, Helena, Nikki, and Sofi!

{Photo by Gregory Paul Photography}

My Bridesmaids

 

{Photo by Gregory Paul Photography}

My Mom and Sister (Maid of Honor)

{Photo by Gregory Paul Photography}

My Future Mother-In-Law and Sister-in-Laws

Invites are OUT!

Finally, today marked the last batch of invitations sent out...202 invitations in total! Tito and I were given a very special gift from Myrni, a close family friend, of hand addressing each invitation.  The calligraphy was beautiful!

Tito and I are super excited, as we wait to see who will join us on our special day!

{Personal Photos: Me hand cancelling the invitation one by one}

Bridal Alert:

Hand-cancelling each invitation is a unique touch to add to your invitations. Brides, you have to request this special service, and 9 out of 10 times the postal workers will allow you to do it yourself.

Engagement Shoot!

Gregory and Heidi of Gregory Paul Photography did us the biggest favor of a last minute engagement shoot last week. The pictures are amazing, they posted a sneak peek up on their blog.
Go and check it out....Gregory Paul Photography Blog

{Source:  Gregory Paul Photography Blog}

Isabella's Fitting

I have picked the two most adorable girls to be my flower girls. One of them had her dress fitting today! Isabella, my Fiance's cousin, tried on her dress and it looked so cute that I had to blog about it.

I can't wait to see her and my cousin Isabel walk down the aisle!

{Personal Photo: Dress by US Angels}

She is ready to be "In Charge of the Petals"!

"The Fruits of my Labor"

As I walked through my front door today, I was greeted by FedEx Delivery Guy with a giant box, which I knew was filled with my wheat grass. The rush of excitement ran through me as I knew I was about to embark on yet another art project for the Bridal Shower this coming Saturday, October 24th.

Little did I expect to be sitting on my foyer floor for the next three and half hours measuring, cutting, and gluing to put together my masterpiece, the display for my escort cards.

Brides, if you LOVE arts and crafts and would love to create this project, here is what you need:

• (2) Green Styrofoam boards 2 ft by 4ft
• (2.5) 20 in x 20  sheets of artificial wheat grass: I found the best price at Save-On-Crafts 
• (1) hot glue gun
• (10-15) sticks of glue
• Burlap wrap: I found the best deal at Michaels Arts and Craft Store, it comes in a large roll
• Dark Green Floral Wire
• Ribbon of choice: 1.5-2.5 inches in width
• Escort cards
• Popsicle sticks: Walmart has the best deal 250 sticks to a pack

Step 1: Link the (2) Styrofoam boards together by sticking Popsicle sticks down the edge and join together. I place (1) stick for every (4) inches

Step 2: Glue popsical stick inside the escort card and glue the card shut. Place in alphabetical order

Step 3: Cut wheat grass patches to fit the surface of the board and secure with hot glue.

Step 4: Place escort cards in order in desired layout.

Step 5: Wrap burlap around the egde of the board for decoration, can use any material of choice depending on decor. Secure with hot glue or fish floral wire to secure. I found that floral wire was a better option and didn't burn your fingers.

Step 6: Decorate with desired ribbon or other materials.

Vola!

{Personal Photos} 

Bridal Advice Alert: Having an outdoor wedding theme? This a great option to display your escort cards in a creative and fun way!

If you have any questions on executing this project, contact me at:

Christine Valdes-Lora

Bridal Shower Madness

Today marked the most stressful day of the month. I had so many things to do, I thought "I am going to lose my mind". Along with planning my bridal shower with my beloved Mom, battling a Master's program, and of course continuing the planning of the wedding; everything become just to much to handle.

To make my life easier, I sat down and wrote everything out on paper. I got creative and developed a timeline for my bridal shower vendors. Very similar, but shorter, to the timelines I create for my clients. My photographer, Gregory Paul Photography, greatly appreciated it. So did Victor from Grove Isle Hotel and Spa, where I am hosting my bridal shower.

Bridal Advice Alert:

If you are hosting your shower at a hotel or restaurant and have hired vendors such as photographers, rentals, cake, musicians, etc; it is to your best interest to put together a short timeline of the day. Your vendors will love you for it and anyone helping you out with the planning.

If you need any help putting one together, contact me at: Christine Valdes-Lora

{Bridal Shower Timeline by Christine Valdes-Lora, Eventi Designs}

Happy Birthday!

As most of you know, this past Wednesday was my 24th birthday! It was a day filled with many things to do, most of those things was finalizing plans for my bridal shower (coming up October 24, 2009). I went all over town visiting all my favorite vendors (who I also hired for my shower). My first stop was to visit Ana at AB Cover Designers, I had to drop of some linens from a wedding the weekend before; as well as finalize linens and other rentals for my bridal shower. She was so honored I stopped by on my b-day!

My next stop was to see Rosie at Elegant Temptations. I had to drop off these cute cupcake wraps for the wonderful cake and cupcakes she is creating for the shower. When she heard it was my birthday, she made me this amazing look and tasting cupcake! How cute is it....

{Personal Photo: Elegant Temptations}

It was a great day, but the best part of all was celebrating it with my parents and future family at my Fiance's home. My future mother-in-law cooked an amazing Cuban meal, "Ropa Vieja", which is literally translated into "Old Clothes"; some white rice, and salad. It was all amazingly delicious.

For my birthday cake, Sofi made me my favorite...Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake!!!

Check out my adorable nephew helping me blow out my birthday cake...

{Personal Photo}

A New Look for "The Planner Bride"

 









The Planner Bride got a new look! Thanks to Marian Rosette Design (MRD), a personal friend and the amazing designer behind MRD, produced this fun new logo and header for the The Planner Bride Blog!

Brides, for all your monogram, wedding logo, and wedding website needs, don't think twice about getting a generic one online.

Contact Mariana at MRD, she will work with you until you are in love with your design!

For more on MRD and contact information, please visit:

MarianaRosetteDesign
www.rosette-design.com

An Elegant Tasting: Bridal Shower Cake

I had the pleasure of attending the most elegant cake tasting at Elegant Temptations with my Mom and future sister-in-law and Junior Bridesmaid, Sofi.

Source {Personal Photos}

Rosie, the owner and creative mind behind Elegant Temptations, showed us great hospitality. We indulged in over 12 flavors of cake and fillings. Deciding which flavors to use, was the hardest part. All the flavors were delicious! Sofi had the honor of selecting the two most amazing flavors, guava cream cheese filling and pineapple filling with vanilla cake...yummm!

Source {CVL Bridal Shower Sketch by Rosie Cunill of Elegant Temptations}

What do you think of Rosie's design?

Thank you Rosie and Elegant Temptation for a delicious afternoon!

Wedding Layout

Last week Tito and I finally had our progressive meeting with Pablo Maes, the Assistant Director of Catering at the InterContinental Miami Hotel in Downtown Miami. We were anxious to get all of our ideas on paper. Creating a layout for over 350 people is not a small task. Thanks to Pablo, this task was made easy.

We achieved many to dos on my list:
1. Decide on final layout of cocktail
2. Decide on final layout of reception
3. Walk-through Grand Ballroom and measure lounge areas
4. Discuss all vendor contract details with Pablo
5. Decide on LED lighting combo

We finally got all details and logistics under control. A very successful and relieved at the end of our nearly 2-hour meeting! Thanks Pablo

Wedding Cocktail Hour Layout
Source {Pablo Maes}

Wedding Reception/Party Layout
Source {Pablo Maes}

Bridal Advice Alert:

Request progressive meetings with your catering manager at your reception venue, especially if you are planning your wedding a year or more out. It is very important to touch base to discuss logistics of the event flow, timeline, layout, details, and vendor contracts. Keeping your planning team in the loop will ensure in a perfectly planned wedding!

Featured Site: The Knot Facebook Fan Page

Exciting News

Our wedding website, which Tito and I creating on www.theknot.com, was picked as a
"Featured Site- Wedding Websites We Love" for the
The Knot's Facebook Fan Page.

Go check it out...we are very excited!

The Knot: My Inner Bride

It has been a few weeks since the last post, I have been so busy wedding planning and working. I have many updates about the wedding plans on the way. I have to finish up this week with a meeting at Junior's Production and Nuage Designs. Tito and I are very excited.

In the meantime...here is my "Inner Bride" that I just created on
The Knot!

MTV Tr3s Casting Call

{Source}

MTV Tr3s contacted me not too long ago searching for the next amazing culturally mixed wedding. They are currently casting for their show "Quiero Mi Boda". They are looking for couples between the ages of 18-28 with diverse backgrounds (at least one should be Latino) who are entering into a mixed marriage. Ideally they want couples who have a great story to tell, and have a large families who are interesting, involved in the party planning and speak both Spanish and English.

If you are interested or someone you know interested, please email quieromibodacasting@mtvnmix.com

Brides In the City: Recap

On June 25, 2009 my bridesmaid, Nikki and I attended Brides In the City Bridal Show at the
InterContinental Miami Downtown Hotel.

The event was amazing! It was hosted on the spa level of the hotel, which is just breath taking. There were amazing vendors from Ever After Bridal Boutique to Tiffany's. Nikki and I had a great time and best of all she was able to see the venue space for my wedding! I took her on a walk through of the hotel and ballroom where I will be hosting my wedding.

It was a great event for all those Brides-to-Be!

{WeddingWire's Fun Friday on Facebook}

WeddingWire is featuring this fun picture on Facebook for their fans to tag friends that best describe the cartoons pictured. Upload to your Facebook pics and have fun with it!

Happy Friday!

Real Weddings: Vanessa and Ammer

Last November, I had the pleasure of working with Vanessa and Ammer. They were just an easy and great couple to work with! Their wedding was a spectacular event at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. Their wedding ceremony was traditional and classic held at the infamous St. Teresa of the Little Flower in Coral Gables, Florida. I had such a great time coordinating the day of.

{Photography by: Tony Gajate Photography}

{Photography by: Tony Gajate Photography}

Their families were so much fun to work.  The wedding was a true party with the help of JC Ledon and the Miami Nights/Chakachan Band. The event decor was inspired by the colors of the fall season, which Jorge Nevot from Nevot Flowers and rentals from AB Cover Designers brought to life effortlessly.

{Photography by: Tony Gajate Photography Flowers by: Jorge Nevot}

{Photography by: Tony Gajate Photography}

{Photography by: Tony Gajate Photography}

Tony Gajate Photography and Luis Torres from Utopia Video Productions helped capture the essence of this event in both picture and motion. Thank you for your amazing work!

{Vanessa and I: Photography by: Tony Gajate Photography}

{Photography by: Tony Gajate Photography}

Congratulations Vanessa and Ammer!

Wedding Vendors Not Mentioned:

Transportation: Miami Limo

Exciting News!

I have just received an email from getmarried, a wedding resource website for brides-to-be and an advertising tool for vendors. They have added "The Planner Bride" blog to their Blog Roll! I was over the hill excited about the email.

Getmarried.com is moving into new and exciting things. Aside from being able to watch top celebrity planners on Lifetime every Monday-Friday 7:30 AM ET/PT, they will be launching their new magazine hitting all newsstands October 2009.

{Press Release}

Be the first to receive your complimentary copy, email Magazine@GetMarried.com

Real Weddings: Veronica and Guillermo

I recently had the pleasure of working with an amazing couple for their wedding day! Veronica and Guillermo had a beautiful wedding Friday, May 8th at the DoubleTree Grand Hotel Downtown Miami. They were married at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Miami Beach by Father Frank.

Veronica is a great example of a DIY Bride. She is so talented with stationary, that she personally made her wedding invitations, table numbers, ceremony programs, favor tags, escort cards, menu cards, even her wedding cake topper!
{ Photo by: Gregory Paul Photography}

I had a great time coordinating their wedding and being there to make sure they did not worry about a thing. They were a great couple to work with!

Aside from such a great couple, I had a great group of vendors to work with as well. From the amazing photography down to the flowers, everything was "picture perfect!" Thank you vendors!

{ Photo by: Gregory Paul Photography, Cake by: Cake Design by Edda}

{Photo by: Gregory Paul Photography, Bouquet by Gill Sosa, Make-Up by: Amaris Gonzalez}

{Photo by: Gregory Paul Photography, Stationary by: Veronica Perez}

{Photo by: Gregory Paul Photography, Flower Decor by: Gil Sosa Design, Stationary by: Veronica Perez}


{Photo by: Gregory Paul Photography}


Congratulations Veronica & Guillermo!

Wedding Vendors Not Mentioned:
Entertainment: Miami Sound Productions
Linens: A Blooming Touch
Transportation: Black Star Limos

Our Invites Are In!

{Personal Photo}

This past weekend, I was surprised when I received a call that my invitations and thank you cards were ready. So, Tito (Fiance) and I went to Martial Champs-Elysees on Miracle Mile to pick them up! I was so happy how they came out, what do you think...

Calling all Brides-to-Be

Brides-to-Be you are invited to "Brides in the City"

at the InterContinental Hotel Miami Downtown

Come and meet the industry's top vendors,
enjoy complimentary entrance, signature cocktails, amuse-bouches,
and valet parking

Get inspired at this summer's InterContinental Hotel's and Vanidades' Bridal Show Edition

{Source}

When: June 25, 2009 at 7:00 PM-9:00 PM
Where: InterContinental Hotel
100 Chopin Plaza (Plaza Level)
Downtown, Miami

For more information please visit Vanidades

Looking Gorgeous: Make-up Trial

I recently coordinated a dear friend's wedding at the beginning of May (post coming soon!) and I was able to have my make-up trail at the "getting ready" session. I was so excited, make-up is the one vendor I have taken the longest to book because it is so essential. Great make-up adds to great pictures.

{Personal Photo}

I LOVED how Amaris Gonzalez from MAC Make-Up worked. She is very professional, talented, and is great to chat with. One of the best I have encountered in Miami. She is highly recommended by my wedding photographer Gregory Paul Photography. Her make-up really shoots well in photos!

Check it out for yourself!

My First Offical Post

Welcome!

Recently, I got inspired by my sister-in-law to be Carmen who is an avid blogger on Tasting Serendipity, and decided to create a blog to showcase wedding planning from the best perspective of all " a wedding planner who is now a bride-to-be!"

Stay tuned... for updates on my wedding planning, events and weddings I have and currently planning/coordinating for my clients, and best of all my personal favorite wedding ideas and tips.