One-Year Anniversary

Melanie, PBC, Bride Crystal, Groom Dusty - Married August 14, 2010

September is Once In A Lifetime's anniversary month!  This month has marked the first year of officially being in business.  What a great year it has been!  I knew starting a business would take a lot of work...I mean it is a business after all. :)  But I did not realize how much time I would really be putting into the business....and most of that time, I am not being compensated for. 

In the past year, I have continued my education  in the wedding industry by attending conferences thoughout the country, with the most knowledge-filled conference being the Association of Bridal Consultant's National Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana last November.  Deciding to attend the annual conference was very difficult, as my daughter was only 3 months old at the time.  I spent a total of 4 days away from her.  It was tough, but I do not regret it for a minute!  I now value the tips, trends, and certifications I received more, because I sacrificed my time away from my family. 

I have attended dozens of bridal shows in the past year as well.  Yes, it may be fun for a bride to attend these shows herself, but why spend so many weekend days and hours researching vendors at the shows when you can hire me to do that for you?  At the shows, I don't really stop and talk to each vendor.  I'll say hello to the ones I know, and then pick up a card at the ones I don't.  I really use the shows as an opportunity to catch the "new" vendors in the area, as well as the new styles for wedding-day attire.

After the shows, and throughout the past year, I have spent endless hours networking, interviewing, and meeting with photographers, videographers, caterers, and the other mind-boggling amount of vendors that the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area has to offer one that is planning a wedding or special event.  I have a great deal of information about prices, package offers, as well as those vendors who are truly ones that are worth the moolah ($$$).

And most importantly, I have had the pleasure of working with a great deal of brides and grooms in the past year as well!  I have experienced everything from a dog as the "flower-girl" to no flower-girl; An Hawaiian themed wedding; A Yellow Wedding; An outdoor cocktail-hour in the rain; A 60 guests wedding; a 300 guests wedding (and everything in between); and this coming weekend, a same-sex ceremony (I am in Iowa afterall).  It has been a great first year!!

To celebrate Once In A Lifetime's One-Year Anniversary, I want to give you a gift! 

Thanks to my husband being a computer engineer and tech geek, for each 2011 bride (or groom!) that hires me to plan your wedding (Full-Planning Package), she (or he) will be given a 16GB Apple iPad. 

You defintiely won't have to worry about losing that picture out of a magazine that is of your dream cake.  Just pull it up on your new iPad.  Also, keep track of all of my emails to you about the great venue for your reception or an Excel spreadsheet of the wedding budget that I helped you create.

Give me a call (319) 373-0648 or shoot me an email mail@onceinalifetimeweddingsandevents.com today so we can start planning your 2011 Once In A Lifetime Wedding today!

(This offer is good through September 30, 2010.)



Wedding Day Plan B

It is your wedding day.  The day you have waited for all your life.  You have always envisioned this day to be perfect in every way imaginable.  You wake up, the sun is shining, you feel great, and start making the preparations to be the most beautiful bride, or the most handsome groom. 

Okay, let's take a different look at the day.  You wake up, and it is cloudy, cool, but not yet raining....

The ceremony is inside in a beautiful church, the cocktail hour outside in an open-sided tent.  Oh great, "The cocktail hour is OUTSIDE!"  Do you have a Plan B if it starts to down-pour an hour before the cocktail hour is supposed to begin? 

Having a Plan B for your wedding day is very important.  Bridal couples hear this from friends, family, and wedding vendors all the time; But how many actually go through with making the second plans? 

This past Saturday I assisted with Day-of Coordination for a couple that did, in fact, plan to have the cocktail hour in a tent, outside.  And it did, in fact, rain on their wedding day (which by the way, is Good Luck!)  The cocktail hour was located in the parking lot of the reception venue, so it would have been very easy to set-up the cocktail tables in the foyer of the reception venue, although space would have been very tight.  It did rain a little before the guests arrived by bus to the venue, but fortunately held off for another couple of hours, so that guests could enjoy themselves before dinner. 

This coming Sunday I am coordinating a wedding where the ceremony is planned to be outdoors.  And yes, we do have a Plan B! 

Take the Cake

All photos were taken from takethecakekc.com.


What is a wedding without the cake?

A wedding cake is a very important detail on such a special day.  Not only do the bride and groom look forward to the "cake cutting" ceremony, but the guests also anticipate it.  Will the groom smash the cake in the bride's face?  How will the cake taste?

When choosing a cake, and most importantly, the baker, there are several tips to keep in mind.  On the ABC Heartland Region's ILNG Conference Call, Kay Benjamin, Cake Artist, of Take the Cake in Kansas City was the guest speaker.  Kay says "The first appointment is very important."  The bride or bridal consultant are encouraged to bring photographs or ideas they like, as well as pictures of cakes, the dress, or any decoration details that will be incorporated into the wedding day, and wedding cake.

There are ways to cut costs on the wedding cake, but you do not have to cut quality by doing this.  The most popular way to do this is by having the "show" wedding cake be styrofoam, frosted with buttercream.  Then the cut cake slices for the guests are from sheetcakes in the back kitchen.

When interviewing bakers, they may tell you they have your date available, but they may also be pushing to do several other weddings or events for the same day.  Ask the baker how many events they schedule for a single weekend, and keep in mind, most bakers do not like to have more than 3, as there is a lot of time and details involved.

There are many other key elements to keep in mind when thinking about who you want to hire as your baker, and what kind of cake, or frosting, you want for your wedding cake.  Feel free to contact me at mail@onceinalifetimeweddingsandevents.com or Kay Benjamin from Take the Cake at takethecakekc@yahoo.com.  Tell Kay that I sent you. :)