Moments Unforgotten - by Patty Long

My amazing friend, Patty, wrote this lovely piece while working through the lost of her mother. I am honored she chose to share this with me. Love to you, Patty.

Life is moments; a collection of star bursts; flashes of brilliant color and light.  Even our darkest hour has an electricity all its own.  The camera of our mind's eye captures these images to pull forth, evoking emotions to match each frame.  This we gauge our success, our failure by; our definition of self and the mark we have made.  Moments Unforgotten create our life as only we can experience it, as only we can live it.  We each are radiant beings of light and must acknowledge this in each other and ourselves. We share our gratitude for our unique moments together. ~ Patty Long

Graduation Party

It was a mixture of fairly new and old friends ~  speaking of the past and of the future to come. It was a good graduation party. 

I added fun touches like Tessa's favorite candy (sour gummy worms) to her table that let the person visiting see Tessa from baby to graduate.  Her favorite teddy bear to high school basketball awards showed how far my daughter has come in her life thus far.

The gathering reminded Tessa how precious she is to many people and it was a  wish for her future to be bright.

An event like this does not need to be terribly expensive. There are ways to cut costs.

• Look into a local grange to rent (so reasonable)
• Purchase flowers from your local florist (wholesale) and arrange them yourself
• The local Dollar Store is a fabulous place to find ribbon and vases for nearly nothing
• Visit Costco for desserts, veggie trays, and such. Put the food items on your glass serving dishes and the look is complete 

Graduation Party Memory Board

Creating a Memory Board is a fun trip down memory lane for you, your graduating senior, and the family and friends who attend the gathering. 

Typically Memory Boards hold pictures from the past but it's also a great place for words of wisdom and a wonderful send off for your high school senior.

Get creative so it reflects your graduate.  I made 3 Memory Boards. The left board shows from birth through grade school. The right hand board reflected middle school through high school. The middle board ~ pictured below ~ was created as a send off.

Flower Power

I LOVE flowers...I can hardly stand to waste a one. 

Finding a place to use the little leftovers is a nice challenge and gives you an extra opportunity to get creative. 

A votive candle holder with colorful rocks in the bottom can be the perfect fit for those short stemmed scraps that you thought were unusable. They add little slashes of color to your event. Because they are nice and low you never have to worry if someone can see over them during conversation at the table. Use 3 or 5 along the middle of your table with a coordinating table runner or cloth napkin underneath.

~ Putting to use all that you have ~

Graduation Party Planning

Graduation party planning can be a fun AND emotional time. Just ask me, the mother of a graduating high school student. Tessa is my baby, there are no more to follow, so this time for me feels very final...I guess because it is.

My daughter requested a graduation party with three of her girlfriends. This makes for interesting party planning ~ there are many opinions to consider and finding the right direction to head in can be tricky. 

But as long as you focus on what's important - your child having a great time and you as the parent feeling good about the send off they are receiving - there are many places to compromise.  

Using school colors as the focal point for decorations brings a common ground among the graduates that are sharing the party.  

Taking a picture of the group and using it as an invitation is fun way to spread the news. These personalized invites can be purchased inexpensively from Costco.com's photo department. These fit nicely in with the graduation announcements and can also be handed out at school to your child's closest friends. 

A picture is worth a thousand words...

I have found that phrase to be true, again and again. And still yet again.

Choosing your photographer for your wedding or event is key. What do you want? What is your personality like? What is the feel you're going for?

Here's a few things to consider when you start shopping for your event photographer.

What is the photographer's style -- traditional, photojournalistic?

Does the photographer shoot in mostly color, black and white, or both?
Will there be an assistant taking photos at the wedding as well?

Can I give the photographer a list of shots that I want?
How long has the photographer been shooting weddings?
How long will it take to get my proofs?
Can I keep the negatives or can I buy them?
What is the photographer's rate?
What time will the photographer arrive and how long will they stay?
Can I look at a complete wedding album the photographer has shot?

Here's one of my all time favorites.  Emily Hall Photography   http://www.emilyhallphotography.com/

I've worked with Emily on several events and a couple photo shoots. She is professional, creative, flexible, and produces work that pleases everyone. 

 

DIY Flowers

Recently I had my bride on a budget ask me what I thought about Do It Yourself (DIY)  flowers. 

My response ~ it's a GREAT and EASY way to shave BIG BUCKS off your wedding budget.

Wholesale places like Costco have wonderful choices of flowers.  You simply place an order so you get just what you want and when you need them. 

Check out some DIY flowers ~ STUNNING and SUPER EASY!

Girl Time

Sometimes you just need to set aside some relaxing time with girlfriends. That can happen over a cup of tea and some good conversation or shopping like crazy looking for that new pair of shoes or maybe in the form of a Spa Day at your home ~ all feed us and our friendships in different and needed ways.

Preparing for a relaxing Spa Day with your friends is as easy as 1~2~3.

1 ~ Create a calming atmosphere with scented candles, peaceful music, and some healthy comfort food. Yes, there is such a thing.

2 ~ Offer pampering goodies like massages, pedicures, and facials.

3 ~  Provide inexpensive little goodies like bottled water with your own creative label and flip flops so those newly polished toes don't get smudged. 

Just create, enjoy, and relax.

The Fun Little Details

Details are sometimes scary to people BUT I love them. The magic of the event or the special day is usually found in those wonderful little details.

Check out this fabulous RSVP card my July bride is sending out soon with her invitations. Her  wedding is being held outside and that lent great inspiration. We had great fun pouring over the tiniest of details to get it just right.

I'm pleased as punch with the results.   

Spa Day & a 2nd Birthday Party

On the horizon is a Spa Day and a 2nd Birthday Party for a special little guy. 

Could there be two completely different celebrations?  Spa Day is to celebrate friendship and take the time to relax and laugh with one another ~ Hudson's Birthday Party will be a celebration of this incredibly busy little guy with big blue eyes. 

I'm busy with yellow polka dots & daisies and dinosaurs & party hats. I can hardly wait to see it all worked out...the creative juices are flowing and I'm looking forward to these two very different groups of people enjoying themselves and one another.

Pictures to follow...

Brilliant & Cheap! Er...Inexpensive

This week I met with my Bride On A Budget - so much excitement!
In talking with the Bride and Groom I learned just how much of a budget they have for their fall wedding - their goal is to plan their dream wedding for $1500. That's quite a goal considering the average wedding cost these days is $27,800*. 

I feel like they're well on their way to get pretty darn close to that goal. 

• She bought her gorgeous wedding dress at a $99 sale at David's Bridal
• The Bride's brother is a chef & a close friends is a photographer whose spouse is a DJ
• The mother of the Bride is using part of her income tax return to pay the rental fee for the venue 
• They are planning on growing the mini pumpkins for their centerpieces

Where there's a will, there is most assuredly a way! Get creative people! Call on your friends to lend their talents ~ there will be a time you can pay them back with your own special talent. 

*Source: TheKnot.com

It Takes But a Moment

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away! ~ Hilary Cooper

I truly believe this. These moments don't have to cost a fortune, in the least. It takes just a bit of time, some imagination, and knowing a little bit about the person you want to create a moment for.  

Last week I created a snowflake themed tea party for some of my friends. Within the fold of their crisp white linen napkin I placed a fun quote about snow (ie: When it snows, you have two choices:  shovel or make snow angels.) and then I wrote a personal note to each of them, letting them know who they are to me. Watching their faces as they each read their snow quotes and then my personal thank you for what they bring to my life, was priceless.  

Within a big event like a wedding or baby shower it's wonderful to find those little moments not just for the bride and groom or mommy-to-be to feel the specialness of the day but you can even have your guests partake in breath-taking moments.

Tea Party Anyone?

Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage ~ Catherine Douzel
Picture it...

• Five friends
• A pot of almond cookie tea, finger sandwiches, scones & sweets 
• The scent of flowers and the flickering light of candles
• Laughter & tears, the talk of children, sex, & the art of mocking

Is there a better way to spend an afternoon laughing & catching up with friends? 
If there is, I can't think of one.

Remember to take time to make special moments with the people that are important to you.  It's ALWAYS worth the effort you put forth.

A Wedding on a Budget

That's quite normal during these hard economic times. I don't believe in going into great debt in order to have your special day. I think it leaves a mar on that beautiful day for the years to come as you pay off the debt.

Usually within a couple you have a spender and a saver. The wedding budget can become a great source of contention if allowed to, but it doesn't have to.

There are so many creative ways to have unforgettable moments without putting yourself into financial stress.

I am partnering with a bride in such a situation. It will be fun to find creative and inexpensive ways to create the day she has been dreaming of. 

Come on, let's get started!

A Day Worth Waiting For

During the summer I had the privilege and pleasure of helping a friend create her wedding day on her 25th wedding anniversary. 

When she was 19 they got married in Reno so she missed out on that special day that most little girls dream of ~ the gorgeous dress, the beautiful decorations, the loving family and friends there to celebrate, and the delicious cake.

It was a day worth waiting for ~ or so I thought. She was stunning and I've never seen her so happy. I am forever grateful that I got to be a part of the day she has waited 25 years for.

Imagine My Excitement

About 2 weeks ago, a photographer friend of mine that I've worked with on previous projects, asked ME to help her plan her wedding. I'll also be there on hand for the BIG DAY to make sure things run as planned.

We met, discussed what she was thinking of for her wedding day ~ the sounds, the smells, the food, the flowers, the dresses, the feeling she wants people to walk away with. It's going to be lovely.

Most of the time I'm a sounding board, solution provider, and the one to remind the bride-to-be to make some decisions. I'm having the time of my life.