Happy Valentine's Day!

Ahhh, Valentine's Day... It's one day set aside to celebrate love with pretty flowers and sparkly goodness.  It's an excuse to overindulge & be wildly romantic.  Sounds a bit like a wedding reception!! 

We hope that you enjoy your Valentine's Day-no matter how it's spent.  However, more importantly, we hope that this day serves as a reminder to celebrate love every day.  Romantic gestures are nice on February 14th, but they're arguably much nicer on random days over the course of the year.

If we can't inspire you to be romantic, maybe this amazing photo project by Lauren Fleishman can. 

Photo by Lauren Fleishman

It's called Love Ever After - it's a series of portraits/interviews with NYC couples who have been married for 50 years or more.  It was inspired by the love letters Lauren's grandfather penned to her grandmother during WWII.  And it absolutely melts our hearts in the most wonderful way.  Go check it out & get a little melty on this chilly February day. 

Cheers!
LaVERE

{La Lovely Things - Vintage Inspired Group Portraits}

Pulling together a wedding guest list is no fun.  Hunting down RSVP-stragglers is no fun.  However, getting married while surrounded by those who are nearest and dearest to you and your partner is great fun.  Whether you have 25 or 250 guests, when you set foot into that house of worship, banquet hall, living room, field, etc., you can literally feel the love and joy of your guests permeate the air.  It is both an amazing and overwhelming experience.  These are the people that you have chosen to surround you as you commit yourself to your partner.  These are the people that make up your community - they'll be the ones to share your joy at future happy occasions and they'll be the ones to prop you up during difficult times.  Now, wouldn't you like to have something special to commemorate that community of yours?

Photo from http://www.wornthrough.com/

That's why we're totally loving the entire wedding group shot.  Couples of long ago had it right.  Take a look around the internets for vintage wedding photos - you will find that the post-ceremony group shot was very popular in the late 1800's through the 1950s/60s.  Then, for some reason (maybe because weddings started becoming more about the "what" instead of the "who"??!!), these types of shots fell out of favor. 

Photo from http://fashion-era.com

Luckily, there are couples & photographers resurrecting the lost art of the banquet photo.  Sure it will require a little additional coordination and cooperation, but don't most worthwhile things?

Here are a few modern day all-inclusive group shots that we're loving.

Photo by Zlatko Batistich

Post Ceremony is a great time to snap one of these photos - your guests will already be in one centralized location and likely in rows.

Photo by Terry Gruber, a master of this form.

How timeless is this group portrait?  By the way, it's definitely a good idea to provide chairs for the older generation. 

Panoramic photo by Eye Shot Photos.

A great way to make sure you get the whole group is to go panoramic like the above photo.

Photo by Kim Grubb. 

Or perhaps your venue has a staircase?  Isn't it lovely how this celebration is practically spilling out of the photograph?

Photo by Eric Limon Photography

 Maybe your photographer will be the one to climb the stairs.  It's such a joy to see these folks having such a good time!  We totally want to be at that party!

Whether artful or whimsical, the banquet group photo is surely a lovely momento that you'll cherish for years to come.

Cheers!
LaVERE

{La Book Review - A Practical Wedding}

As a wedding planner, I read a whole lot of wedding books.  I also don't like most of them.  When I find one that I LOVE, of course I have to share with you.  Here's my thoughts on why you should read  A Practical Wedding: Creative Ideas for Planning aBeautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration by Meg Keene, if you haven't already.  

Meg Keene is a refreshingly reasonable, calm voice in the increasingly unreasonable, frenzied genre of Wedding Planning media.  A Practical Wedding is an honest, thoughtful, and thought-provoking guide for traversing the journey of planning a wedding that is sensible yet fun.  Keene’s voice resonates throughout the book – she comes across as that wise, sincere friend that you turn to when you need to be talked off of a ledge. 

As any good wedding book does, A Practical Wedding covers the standard items and etiquette that make up a wedding celebration – budget, vendor selection, ceremony considerations, and organization.  However, there are several key features that set A Practical Wedding apart from the countless tomes heaped upon women as soon as someone ‘puts a ring on it’ and catapult it into the elite category of great wedding books. 

 

History and justifying what’s important.  Keene takes the time to give the reader a brief history of the American wedding and point out that all the “Things You Must Have to Get Married” which you’ve been hearing about and stressing over are, for the most part, recent inventions.  What is particularly fantastic is that after explaining that some traditions are inventions by the Wedding Industry, Keene points out to her readers that if they find meaning or enjoyment in said traditions, they should, by all means embrace them to the fullest.  She gives those planning a wedding permission to do what is meaningful to them and let the rest go, and sometimes, permission from an authority is exactly what a to-be-wed needs.

Gender neutrality and marriage equality.  Even though the large majority of her readers will likely be brides planning to marry grooms, Keene takes great care to not alienate based upon gender or sexual preference.  It is refreshing to read a wedding book that has quotes and passages from a groom’s point of view as well as inclusion of same-sex weddings.  To me, it’s important to acknowledge that a wedding is a wedding is a wedding.  A great wedding book transcends being pigeon-holed as a “straight” or “gay” wedding book.  Regardless of who is marrying whom, the elements that make up a wedding do not change. 

Sensible DIY (or as Keene calls it DITogether).  The chapter focusing on DIY projects is by far, the most in-depth and honest writing I’ve read on the topic.  With a plethora of style blogs, magazines, and television shows bombarding to-be-weds with images of perfect, handcrafted wedding elements, it is easy to catch DIY fever, which left untreated can lead to DYI mania.  Keene discusses the various reasons people DIY, how to get it done and most importantly when to let it go. 

Big Difficulties & Huge Conversations.  Most wedding books are all flowers and table settings and pretty, pretty princess business.  Before reading A PracticalWedding, I would have been hard pressed to think of a wedding planning book that actually discusses the really weighty topics like calling the whole thing off or planning in the midst of tragedy.  Keene discusses the tough stuff – difficult aspects like strife, compromise and letting go.  She also encourages her readers to have the important discussions necessary to forming the foundation of a solid marriage (faith, finances, values and intentions).  It may not be pretty princess stuff, but these are the topics that you’ll be dealing with long after the flowers have wilted and the tables have been cleared.  

Additionally, Keene bucks wedding book tradition and lets her readers in on some secrets that many in the wedding industry don’t want anyone to know – planning a wedding is not easy, there will likely be tears & arguments, things will go wrong, and ultimately it’s not about doing everything under the sun to have one perfect day but doing all that you possibly can to have one gloriously imperfect life.  

One of my favorite quotes from the book is:  “Weddings are like most good things in life: really hard and really worth it.”  With all of the insight and honesty in the pages of A Practical Wedding, it just got a little easier. 

La Verdict - a must read survival guide for to-be-weds.  Oh yeah, and there's this too - 

Cheers!
LaVERE

PS - if you want to hear even more practical thoughts on weddings and marriage, come to Meg's reading at the Barnes & Noble in Park Slope Brooklyn on Saturday, January 28th.  We're helping to organize a kick-ass after party & we'd love to see you there!  You can get more info & RSVP here. 

{La Advice - Becoming a To-Be-Wed}

Congratulations to all those newly to-be-weds who got engaged over the holiday season!!  Getting engaged to be married signifies a huge transition in life – unlike any you’ve faced before, and it can bring an onslaught of emotions, good and bad.  Here are a few tips to handle it all.  

Photo by Tim Eng.

I’m sure that you are over the moon about finding “the one”.  However, may of newly engaged people also find a fair bit of anxiety tugging at that feeling of glee.  It’s totally normal to feel that way, but please don’t let it overshadow the delight that you’re feeling!  Pop a bottle, clink some glasses, and make out with your fiancé/e!  

Before you even start thinking of wedding stuff, you should take a bit of personal time to reflect on the transition ahead and mentally prepare for what is next in your life.  By making/accepting a proposal, you’ve made an agreement with your partner to shed your singledom and embrace life as a family together.  Now is the time to have the big discussions about life with your partner, to make sure you’re on the same page with regard to the major components that will make up a family’s life (money, children, conflict resolution, etc.).    

Considering how quickly information is disseminated in today’s society, odds are as soon as one or two people find out that you’re engaged, your whole network of friends and family will know all about it.  Before you even get accustomed to calling your partner fiancé/e, the questions will come rolling in.
“Have you set a date?” “Will you invite such-and-such person?” “Where will you have the reception?” “What’s your color scheme?” “Who’s in your bridal party?”  Don’t stress this!  People are happy for you and want to engage with you (no pun intended).  Simply thank them for their interest in your wedding, and let them know that you haven’t even thought about planning yet because you want to take some time to enjoy life as an engaged couple. 

 

And please, please don’t let anyone stress you into planning a wedding - there's no rush, and it's not a race!  You’ll know when you and your partner are ready to start!

Cheers!
LaVERE

{La Vie En 2012}

Hello darlings and happy 2012!

(we're a cheap date! Party hat, POP & a horn, yes, please! highly unprofessional photo courtesy ourselves!)

We had an amazing 2011 (which we will be touching on a few more times - we owe you all a few weddings), and we're looking forward to a '12 filled with all sorts of happiness and wedded bliss.

Congratulations to those of you who have kicked-off the new year by getting engaged! We'll be back on Friday with some tips for the freshly fiance'd.

Lots of things on the horizon here...  like an upgraded blog (which we'll update more often), the aforementioned La Vie En Print, and oh yeah, we joined Twitter.  So follow us for pithy insights; droplets of inspiration, and the occasional bit of snark.  @LVREvents.

In the next few days, we'll be putting up some new galleries on the site, reviewing the APW book (hint - it is AWESOME), speaking of which, RSVP to the Brooklyn Book Tour Event!! We're super psyched to be part of the crew that's hooking that up!,and we'll be making our Pinterest boards & lover.ly bundles public. 

Hope your 2012 is as possibility-filled as ours!
Cheers!
LaVERE

{Coming Soon! La Vie En Print}

We've alluded to an exciting project in the works and we're excited to announce that in the coming weeks, we'll be launching a sister company to La Vie En Rose Events.

Once upon a time, a wedding planner and an artist met on a blind date. They happened to hit it off remarkably well. Within a few short years, the wedding planner was happily engaged to the artist and ready to start planning their wedding. However, when the time came to choose invitations, the couple found that nothing fit both their style and their price range. After an extensive & exhausting search, the wedding planner had a lightbulb moment. Who could design a better stationery suite than a wedding planner & an artist?! The couple set to work and soon came up with printed items to reflect their personal style.

The Wedding Planner + The Artist (photo by Tim Eng)

After realizing that they really enjoyed working together on their own invitations, the wedding planner began referring La Vie En Rose Events clients to her husband, and thus, La Vie En Print was born.We are very excited to offer couples and families unique, customizable, and affordable designs for life's most important celebrations. 


La Vie En Print will offer modern invitations and stationery designs in both printed format as well as Digital DIY Designs at modest price points.  We will also be offering custom design work.  And it's not just weddings - many of our standard designs can be used for parties, product launches, birthdays, etc.!  We'll have a range of baby/kid stationery too. Colors & fonts will be customizable on each of our stationery suites.

Here's a sneak peek of a few designs that we'll be offering:

Click here to view a larger version of the Modern Mums invitation suite.

Click here to view a larger version of the Fez invitation suite.

Click here to view a larger version of the Vintage Dahlia invitation suite.

We look forward to unveiling the rest of our designs and launching our Etsy Shop! Check back for updates & more designs in the coming weeks & don't forget to like us on Facebook for updates. 

{La Advice - Wrong Way Bouquet}

A quick tip - there's a wrong way & a right way to hold your bouquet.  This goes for brides as well as bridal party... 

Here's how not to do it:

Anne, you're lovely, but we can't see your gorgeous dress!

Awww, SJP, we practically can't see your face.  And you kind of look like you're heading off to battle...

Please, don't do either of the above.  Hold your bouquet like so:

Nice & low.  Photo by Teresa Horgan.

This lovely bridesmaid got it right.  Photo by Richard B. Flores

When I line bridesmaids up to walk down the aisle, I collect gum from anyone chewing and then remind them of this simple way to remember where the flowers ought to be....  "Pubes, not boobs."  It's easy to remember and it always puts a smile on everyone's face right before they walk.  :)

Cheers!
LaVERE