Wedding & Event Planner and Stylist, Morgan Gallo Events (MGE) LowCountry Event Firm: January 2014

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Throwback Thursday

Looking back at last season, there was a growing trend in bridal accessories - instead of the traditional veil, whether short or long, a more embellished look was seen walking down the aisle and the runway.

Showcased as bridal and festival headwear, the Tikka-inspired headpiece is another option for brides to consider for their look. The Indian-inspired head jewelry has comes in several variations, though all are exotic, luxurious, and bohemian.

Standard headpieces consist of three chains, with accents of gems or charms, that rest on the head. This is also a great accessory for the Maid of Honor or flower girl. You can find these beautiful head pieces at asos.com and bhldn.com. Prices range from $19 up to $225.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Customizing Customs

Personalize that Package

In this day and age, you can have anything you want, however you want it. You can virtually build your own car, there are about 1.7 million DIY tricks for everything you could possible imagine, and we are constantly saying things like “skim, iced, no onions, extra cheese,” etc. So if you can be this picky with driving, decorating, and eating, you should also be able to customize another human custom – marriage.

When you hire a coordinator, more likely that not, they’re going to be with you throughout the year leading up to the wedding. At the very least, they’ll be touching base with you until it’s time for them to plan the day, and at the most, they will basically be your best friend/fairy god-planner that goes poof and finds you the awesome baker, best venue, and insanely cool décor. Unfortunately, many planners only provide these two options on either end of the planning spectrum, with nothing in between.

A healthy portion of customizable packages should be provided by your coordinator when cooking up your big day (I don’t know how I got into these metaphors but let’s roll with it). Choices are a regular part of a stress-free bride’s wedding diet and if the planner you’re working with can’t provide you with any wiggle room, you’ll feel like a big stuffed sausage throughout the whole process. If you can assertively tell that barista at Starbucks that she LEFT OUT YOUR EXTRA ESPRESSO and you specifically said NO WHIPPED CREAM, then you can stand up for making your day (and the planning process) exactly what you want it to be – no more, no less.

So on that note, head on over to http://morgangalloevents.com/services/ to check out our vast planning “menu.”

Nailed the food metaphors.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Diverse Details

Bridal Showers & Rehearsal Dinners

While working a small dinner party in L.A. last summer, I discovered a small but cool detail - stainless steel and glass straws.

We’ve gotten on the trend of the colorful “paper” straws, but they tend not to last that long in our drinks. Not only did I find these steel and glass straws more durable, but they were also great looking! It’s that extra detail for your party and a small way to save money, since they're reusable!

They can be found at:

reuseit.com
williamsonoma.com
glassdharma.com

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Fall/Winter Style Forecast

Boho Inspo

For a little inspiration for brides planning a Fall/Winter 2014/early 2015 wedding, I looked at a few trend forecasts and found some images with a decidedly sophisticated-bohemian influence.

You can see how this color story (below) of ivory, wood and skin tones, creates a soft environment while bringing out different shapes and textures. Finding ornamental and precious artifacts that are simultaneously antique, elegant and sentimental are great details to add to your day. All together, they are the perfect accents for the refined, bohemian-chic bride.

All trend forecasts from Perclers Paris.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Who's Talking

Introducing Us

If you were a follower of the blog before we got our fancy new website and logo, you might notice a change in voice - that's because we have new contributors to the blog! You've recently been hearing from me, Jordan Rankin. I'm the executive assistant here at MGE and I wanted to say helloooo to everyone and let you get to know me. I love a good pair of boots, a good bourbon drink, and anything that makes me laugh. During the week, I can often be found running around the Broughton Street area and chances are, I am eating a macaron. Oh, and I love to write!

Look, it's me!

This week, you'll also get to hear the wisdom of Skye Sienkiewicz, one of our assistant coordinators and our resident stylist/fashionista. When she's not delving through fashion texts at SCAD to bring you the latest in cutting-edge bridal design, she can be found working at Wild Wings and Villa Savannah. She is one busy chick! And Skye is absolutely addicted to shoes. She'll be supplying us with style inspiration posts, and we're sooo excited to share them with you!

Skye!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

The Off Season is On Point

May and October are the most popular months to get married, because those months are the wonderful spaces in between melting out of your dress and having to wear tights underneath.

No one ever talks about the benefits of getting married in the off season, namely the middle of summer and winter, but they exist. Let’s review them:

A) Your fussiest relatives probably won’t come. As we all know, difficult aunts and grumpy uncles live to complain about the weather, so if you haven’t sent them a Christmas card in a few years and then you set your date for July or January, you have just saved yourself a whole lot of stress.

B) You save money. Many vendors, like venues and planners, give discounts in the off-season because they need to fill the gaps in their business year. This is especially true for destination wedding locations (ahem, Savannah) that have big spikes of activity and then get quiet for a few months.

C) Your beach wedding can actually be warm enough at which to swim, and your winter wedding might end up being white – both of which are romantic.

D) Your dress can be seasonal – some might point fingers at a short dress in April but absolutely no one could blame you for it in June. Similarly, winter weddings encourage long-sleeved dresses or cute bolero jackets, which can cover up all the cookies and mashed potatoes that went straight to the back of everyone’s arms during the holidays.

E) Most of your friends should be able to come – their springs and falls will be packed with other couples’ nuptials and besides, summer and winter are both prime seasons for throwing parties.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

How to Put Some Edge on Your Big Day

Own It

While your wedding day is one of the most significant and romantic occasions of your life, a personification of you and your fiancé’s love for one another, and the beginning to of your life together, it is also the biggest party you will ever throw.

On average, most women have the chance to do this right only once (and by right, we mean well-funded and probably with the best body you will ever have). Lots of little girls dream about all the princessy details, but this post is for the girl with a wild hair, or two, or three. Your day is about you – and if you were ever more of a Scout Finch than a Scarlett O’Hara, this is no day to hide it. Put some edge on your big day – here’s some suggestions.

1. Mix up the hors d’oeuvres – if you have a penchant for sushi and Jack Daniels, bring it through at the cocktail hour. Your guests will get their pork tenderloin cutlets with mandarin remoulade at someone else’s wedding.

2. Getting chilly or just want to bring your reception outfit up in cool points? Don’t be afraid to break out the leather jacket. Why shouldn’t your favorite wardrobe staple be a part of your big day?

3. Invite this guy and bring on the glowsticks. If you know your DJ is going to really bring the heat after all the “first dances,” you better equip your guests. They did come to celebrate, after all.

4. Puffing cigars on the big day is common among grooms and their groomsmen – but don’t let gender roles get you down! If you’re a classy lady who enjoys a good Cuban, make sure you give you and your maids some time to kick it like the boys. You’re married; you can do whatever you want!!

View More: http://wingsofgloryphotography.pass.us/brooke-livingston-weddings

5. Break the rules. Get in the fountain, climb out the sunroof of the limo (or attempt to), and generally act young and in love. You don’t want someone upstaging you at your own party anyway.

Monday, January 13, 2014

5 Reasons to Get Married in Savannah

Why to Tie the Knot in the First City

Savannah is, without a doubt, one of the hottest (both literally and figuratively) destination wedding spots in the southeastern United States. The warm climate is complimented by the amazing history – Savannah became the first official city in the state of Georgia in 1733 – and its gorgeous Spanish moss is also one of Savannah’s most distinctive and romantic traits.

But besides these obvious reasons, here are five others that maybe you hadn’t considered:

1. You have two bodies of water to work with. TWO. You have the gorgeous Savannah River (yacht party, I’m on a boat, etc.) and some of the best surrounding islands in the lowcountry (beach wedding, yacht party, I’m on a boat).

2. The food. You can’t throw a rock in Savannah without hitting ten Paula Deen prototypes (pre-racism scandal..), and there’s also a multitude of world-class ethnic restaurants for those who want an amazing menu minus all the butter.

3. Cultural diversity. Yes, this is the Deep South, but Savannah is home to not only various kinds of Protestant churches but also Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Jewish houses of worship. They also have these things called “outside,” “historic places,” “art galleries”, and “cool restaurants” for those who wish to have a nonreligious wedding.

4. The bars are open until 3am, and you can drink out of plastic in the street. So tell your fiancé that he IS NOT going to Vegas for his bachelor party, and you can both go out pre-wedding and post-reception for a good time with your friends. Savannah also has pedicabs - so word to the wise, if you’re staying downtown for the night, skip the taxi and hop into a broke SCAD student’s rickshaw at the end of the night.

5. Literary history. We all know that Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt took place here and the movie was filmed on location as well. It has also been the setting of High Noon by Nora Roberts, and, less admirably, Southern Lights by Danielle Steel. The best part is, unlike most places in South and North Carolina, no book by Nicholas Sparks has ever taken place here, for which we are all grateful.

All photos courtesy of VisitSavannah.com and https://www.facebook.com/VisitSavannahGA.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Hidden Messages

Cutting Through the Noise on Your Big Day

Your wedding day is one of the most special days of your entire life – so special that you want to share it with everyone. Like, everyone. They’re coming to see you (and to eat and drink) and see you they will, from the first step down the aisle to the last step into the limo at the end of the night.

Sharing the whole day with your soon-to-be husband and your family is an amazing experience. However, in most cases you really spend most of that day away from all of them, getting dressed with your bridesmaids, doing last minute checks and touchups, and remembering your grandma’s insistence that if your fiancé sees you before the ceremony, your marriage will be cursed forever.

People have begun realizing this, and have started to appreciate the power of the subtle, hidden message to connect with love ones despite the rush and excitement of the big day. Not everything about your wedding has to be public or written on giant chalkboards like that brisket you’re serving.

Exchanging love notes to read before the ceremony is intimate and timeless. Always be sure to read them, on the off chance it might be a heads-up from your guy that he’s not coming after all.

Little messages from family – like these blue-stitched words of wisdom from the mother of one of our brides.

Cutlery with “I Do” and “Me Too” on them are not only understated and adorable, but also act as a vehicle for that cake to make its way into your mouth! Who could ask for more?

Even if you spend every waking second of your wedding day alongside your nearest and dearest, hidden messages are a perfect way to be reminded of the reason for the occasion – love, pure and simple.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Petals for Less

How to Get More Bang for Your Buck in Flowers

Do you start envisioning your wedding day with millions of roses and orchids everywhere, and then start envisioning the foreclosure on your house? You’re not alone.

Your flower arrangements can be some of the most expensive parts of your wedding, so if you want to cut corners without cutting glamour, there are more creative ways to make up for the flowers you might not want to splurge on.

Any big day is incomplete without some flower power, but the alternatives to tons of flowers that will be dead in a week can be really fun, fresh takes that can set your wedding apart.

Switch out traditional boutonnières for something a little more rustic.

Bridal heels with flowers are proven to make you lighter on your feet while dancing.
Petals2

Floral hair embellishments can stand in place of an outrageous bouquet.

Even details with petal-like aspects (like this belt in one of our latest styled shoots) can add some organic elements to your wedding ensemble!

You can even switch out your bouquet of flowers for a bouquet of jewels and meaningful objects!
Petals5

Monday, January 6, 2014

The Reason for Rentals

Why Rentals Are Your Best Friend

There are a lot of things that come to mind when you think of the word “rental” – your high school prom date’s tuxedo, Blockbuster (RIP), that cardboard box you called an apartment in college – and yes, most of them are lame.

However, when it comes to your wedding, take it from a pro – rentals are essentials. See what I did there? If your wedding planner has resources available at a fraction of the cost of what you’d pay for the same cute knick-knacks in retail stores, it would be silly to throw money away.

Money-saving aside, the other benefit of renting is that we (speaking for all planners that have rentals available) are responsible for putting these items them back into storage at the end of your day, so that the next bride can enjoy them as much as you did for about four hours.

Just to play devil’s advocate - should you choose to buy these things, you are blessed with the privilege of:

A) Finding some way to use them in your décor at home – you could stick plants in them, or even caddy-corner them in your hallway for your husband to stub his pinky toe on in the wee hours of the morning (repeatedly)!

B) Re-gifting these gems. If your Aunt Joyce can’t appreciate her next Christmas present of 11 tiny birdhouses and some unopened Chinese lanterns, she is just unappreciative.

C) Leaving them on the lawn of someone you hate.

Obtaining adorable, whimsical, ridiculous items is the point of your wedding. You should – it’s your only chance to! Your husband is about to turn that spare room into his man cave, so don’t even bother picking paint swatches for what was once going to be your Downton Abbey-inspired nook.

Your wedding day should be a fantasy – but fantasy can soon turn to nightmare once you realize that gnome statue you bought for the ceremony entrance seems to follow you everywhere with its eyes.

Ask your planner about rental options – save your money and your closet space!

Our rental list is available on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152284354258268.1073741853.247525013267&type=3 and also by request.

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