Featured Vendor

Last month, I threw a small get-together with a small group of my mom's closest friends for her 50th Birthday. We planned a relaxing "Spa Day" and had a nice brunch followed by a relaxing afternoon by the hot tub. I had a makeup artist, Jillyan Scarpa, come and give my mom a full makeover. Then, she talked tips-n-tricks, holiday makeup, and anything else the ladies wanted to know with the group. Once the girls were all glammed up, their husbands came over for a big BBQ. It was a really great event and I was so fortunate to have Jillyan be a part of it. She made each of the ladies completely comfortable and did a phenomenal job with their makeup. To top it off, she was sweet, funny, and a pleasure to have in our home. I trusted her with my mom, and I definitely trust her with my brides. Here are some fun facts about Jillyan:

Name: Jillyan

Business: Skin Bar and Paint Studio

Website: www.skinbarandpaint.com

Location: 98 Main St. Little Falls, NJ

Type of Vendor: Makeup artist/skin care (i.e facials & airbrush tan)

How Long In Business: 10 years

Work Style: Professional,fun & high energy!!!

Training: M.A.C. Cosmetics,Artistic Academy (esthetician's license) & life!

Favorite Color: Purple & Black

Sports Team: Dallas Cowboys/Chicago teams!!!

Languages: English(some Italian)

Favorite Food: Italian & Mexican

Hidden Talents or Favorite Hobbies: My family/shopping/Bon Jovi

Home Town: Chicago,Il.

Favorite Place: Beach & New York City!!!

Pets: 2 Shi-Tzu's Gizmo & CoCo

Favorite Holidays: CHRISTMAS!!!

Favorite Quote: Life is limitless... & truely living is each of us following the paths to be who & what our hearts dare us to be!---by "Me"

Best Part Of The Job: I love what I do---people are made to feel beautiful inside & out!

Make sure that you check out her website: www.skinbarandpaint.com for more about her new salon and her makeup services! Here are some pictures of Jillyan working her magic and my mom's big day!

If I Could Do It Again

Here's some real advice from a recent Newlywed.

If I Could Do It Again, I Would:

I would double, triple, and quadruple check my contracts, even during the last week leading up to my wedding. I knew basically what I was entitled to with each vendor, but knew no specifics and forgot to bring the contracts with me. When my limo arrived, the driver would not let me in until full payment was recieved. I had arranged for my Future Father-In-Law to handle payments and tipping and he wasn't due to arrive for another hour at a different location. The driver refused to let me in until one of my bridesmaids finally volunteered to give him a check. It was a stressful and terrible experience. Make sure that you read your contracts, bring them with you so that you have backup, and talk to your vendors in advance to confirm the timing of the payments and make sure that things run smoothly!

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM
AS YOU WISH WEDDING & EVENT DESIGN!

Featured Vendor

This weeks Featured Vendor is one of my absolute favorites. Tania Lezak of Lezak Photography is one of the most gifted photographers I have ever worked with. She is a complete joy to have on-site and I look forward to all of my weddings that she shoots. She is a ton of fun, as you'll see from reading her blog, but she is also so genuine and really cares about capturing the best moments of your day. I found Tania after she shot my cousins' wedding (Check out Christine and Marks wedding in Wyndham on her blog!), as she is a close family friend. She has since worked with me on my weddings and has done another cousin of mine as well (Check out Patricia and Mike's wedding in Germany on her blog -- it's a MUST SEE!).

Tania: Thanks for all of the support you have given me as I grow into the wedding industry. You have no idea how much help you've given me in this first year!

Name: Tania Lezak

Business: Tania Lezak Photography

Website: http://www.lezakphotography.com/ And of course, the blog!: http://photosnaps.lezakphotography.com/iBlog/

Location: Philadelphia, PA area

Type of Vendor: Photographer!

How Long In Business: I’ve been shooting professionally for about 11 years now, but weddings have been my life for the past 3-4 years.

Work Style: Creative photojournalism

Training: Learned a lot about shooting, processing, and Photoshop while I was a photographer at the Daily Collegian (Penn State’s newspaper), but I’m mostly self-trained!

Favorite Color: Pink & blue (no surprise that they’re also my business colors!)

Sports Team: Red Sox -- I’ll always be a Boston girl

Languages: Spanish & a little bit of German

Favorite Food: Ice cream & burritos (but not together)

Hidden Talents or Favorite Hobbies: In the winter, when the wedding season slows down a bit, I throw pottery. I love digging in and getting my hands dirty!

Home Town: I grew up in a little town in Massachusetts, just outside of Boston.

Favorite Place: This is a tough one…..I’ve been to so many incredible places! I don’t think I could pick a favorite, but I love how the landscape in Utah feels almost alive…. I love the lushness and peace of Kauai…. I love walking the streets of Moscow at night…. I love riding my horse at sunset through the fields at home…. I love exploring the northern coasts of Spain…and there’s still so much more I have to see and do!

Pets: Jake (my horse) and Sully (our crazy blonde lab)

Favorite Holidays: Christmas!

Favorite Quote: I don’t know if I have a favorite quote, but this is one I always find inspiring… “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.” (Henry Ford)

Best Part Of The Job: I love watching the whole day unfold….from the hair curling and tie-tying in the morning until the last dance. I love that I get to be there for all of the smiles and emotions….through the hectic times and the sweet times….on such an amazing day! It’s a huge honor to be invited into a couple’s wedding day.


To see more of Tania's work, check our her website: www.lezakphotography.com and her blog: http://photosnaps.lezakphotography.com/iBlog/! See the post below of Joey and Erans wedding for more examples of Tania's beautiful work.

Current Weddings

Vital Statistics
Bride: Joey
Groom: Eran
Location: Kutz Camp, Warwick NY
Flowers: ZAK & Company
Photography: Lezak Photography
Catering: Bridge Creek Catering

I recently got the pleasure of working with a really great couple from St. Thomas. Kutz Camp holds a special place for the bride's family, as the Father of the Bride works at the camp and the bride and her siblings went to the camp as children. They had a gorgeous day in early September. Tania Lezak took these photos. She is PHENOMENAL and I'll be featuring her tomorrow on the blog. I can't thank her enough for sharing these pictures!

The ceremony was held in "The Willows" in between two gigantic willow trees. The guests then followed the path of lanterns to "The Theatre," where the reception was held out over the lake.




The bride and bride's sister hand made their placecards. The lanterns above were used throughout the theatre. We strung them all along the sides of the reception space to create lantern-lit windows. Guests looked through the lanterns out onto the gorgeous lake and mountains.

Their Ketubah was fabulous! It was so intricate and ornate. It was such a beautiful piece of art.

The only thing Joey really had her heart set on was the rose petal aisle. It was a beautiful touch. The guests all sat on camp provided benches, which were painted different colors. It really brightened up the space and gave the ceremony a very personal feel.

Along with the beautiful Hazelnut Genoise Wedding Cake with Chocolate Ganache Filling (yum!), they had a "candy bar" filled with candy in their wedding colors. The guests could fill mini goody bags with the candy of their choice.

All in all, it was a gorgeous day and it was so great to be a part of it.

If you have any questions about where to get anything seen in this post, email us at stacey@asyouwishwed.biz!

Reader Q & A

Q: Can you give some solid guidelines of how much to tip your vendors? I thought that all vendors were tipped, but read an article saying only certain vendors do.

A: The wedding vendors that you definitely should tip:

• Head caterer, maitre d', banquet manager: 15-20% of the total food and drink bill
• Waitstaff: 15% of the total food bill (should be given to banquet manager to distribute)
• Bartenders: 15% of the total drink bill (should be given to banquet manager to distribute)
• DJ/Musician: $30-$50 each
• Limousine Drivers: 15-20% of the entire transportation bill
• Hair Stylist: 15-20% of the bill
• Makeup Artist: 15-20% of the bill
• Bathroom and Coat Check Attendant: $1 per guest (place a sign stating that gratuities have been taken care of)
• Valet Parking Attendant: $1 per guest (place a sign stating that gratuities have been taken care of)
• Delivery truck drivers (catering, florist, cake baker): $10 each

The wedding vendors that you have the option of tipping:

• Photographer: 10% of bill
• Videographer:10% of bill
• Wedding Planner: 15-20% of total bill
• Organist: $20-$50
• Soloist:$20-$50
• Altar boys/girls: $10
• Wedding Day Ceremony Coordinator: $20

The wedding vendors that do not get tipped:

• Florist
• Cake Baker
• Stationer
• Religious Officiant (if you'd like to tip a religious officiant, donate the money to the place of worship)

A few things to remember when tipping your wedding vendors:

• Double check every one of your contracts before deciding on tips. Many vendors include a gratuity charge built right into the bill. If this is the case, you do not need to give any additional tip on your wedding day.
• Tips were designed to show appreciation for a job well done. If you feel that any one of the vendors that do not typically get tipped did an outstanding job, feel free to tip them as well.
• The bride and groom should never be in charge of tipping on your wedding day. Assign this task to a parent or responsible attendant.
• Tips should be given towards the end of the evening. You need to make sure that there is a job well done before you hand out that reward.

Just Flat Out Cool!

Bridal magazines are stuffed with ad's for bridesmaids dresses. After awhile, you get numb to them and barely notice, because they are all so similar. Check out this website: www.lynnlugobridal.com. This designer not only offers a fresh look at the bridesmaids dress, but lets you custom make your dress with an awesome online tool. You choose the silhouette, colors, fabrics, and details.

Consider using different shades of color and complimentary colors when choosing your gowns. Having more than one color adds tons of interest and makes for great photos! It also keeps you away from everything being too "matchy-matchy" and gives you more freedom is using color throughout the rest of your wedding.

Just Flat Out Cool!

You have spent (or will spend) countless hours making sure that you choose the perfect wedding stationary. You'll find the perfect Save The Dates, Invitations, and Thank You Cards. So much time and effort will be out into the color scheme, fonts, and calligraphy. Little to no time will be spent on the stamp. After all that work, do you really want to ruin the effect of the beautiful writing by putting an ugly orange quail stamp next to it? Nope!

Check out this website: http://www.pictureitpostage.com/. Click the "Get Inspired" tab and head to the Wedding Section. You can customize your stamp to match the theme of your wedding stationary! If you're doing a themed Save The Date, include a coordinating graphic. On your Thank You Notes, include a wedding photo! If nothing else, pick something plain that doesn't clash with that great first impression your invitation is making.

If custom stamps aren't in your budget, head over to http://www.usps.com/ and choose the Wedding Heart stamps...anything to avoid that quail!

Featured Vendor

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a new company that just started in my hometown. I get contacted by literally hundreds of new vendors per week, but this one caught my eye. I met with them, heard their story, and LOVED their concept (and loved them, they are such fun ladies). AJ Amore does In-Home Demonstration parties. They are the new and useful alternative to the overdone engraved bracelet and flask. They offer a fresh and unique spin on the bachelorette party, shower, or attendants gift. You can show your appreciation for your bridal party by having them over for a party, or you can give them gift certificates to have parties of their own. Here's a little bit more about them:

Name: Allison Hill & Janet Lennon

Business: AJ Amore Website: http://www.ajamore.com/

Location: Midland Park, New Jersey, 07432

Type of Vendor: An In Home Food Demonstration and Dinner Party Planning Service

How Long In Business: 2 of the best months of our lives

Work Style: Casual with a dash of flare…

Training: Between the two of us we have 38 years of parenting, cooking and entertaining experience

Favorite Color: Allison: Purple Janet: Brown

Sports Team: Allison: Giants Janet: Yankees

Languages: English, Love, and children

Favorite Food: Pasta, Bread & Cheese. We wouldn’t survive without these in our diets

Hidden Talents or Favorite Hobbies: Allison: Singing Janet: Painting

Home Town: Allison: Ridgewood Janet: Bogota

Favorite Place: Allison: My Bed Janet: Her Beach Chair

Pets: Allison: Bella the cat Janet: Buster the cat & Buddy the crooked dog

Favorite Holidays: Christmas, Christmas and oh yeah….CHRISTMAS!

Favorite Quote: "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." -Virginia Woolf

Best Part Of The Job: Laughing like no one is looking. We spend an awful lot of time together not to be having fun. Hopefully our clients are having as much fun as we are. We try to insist upon it!

Check out their website, www.ajamore.com to see more of the great services that they offer. Email them to be added to their newsletter mailing list! It features some really awesome stuff!

UPDATE: AJ Amore selected As You Wish as their Featured Vendor! Check it out: http://www.ajamore.com/FEATUREDVENDOR.html. Thanks ladies!!

Reader Q & A

Q: Am I obligated to leave Welcome Baskets in all of my guests hotel rooms? Only a few guests are staying in a hotel and I don't want to give them something that the other guests aren't getting because we appreciate them coming an equal amount.

A: There are no rules about giving guests Welcome Baskets. Most guests won't enter their hotel rooms and immediately search for a gift from you, but it's certainly a nice surprise that will make them feel appreciated. The theory behind a Welcome Basket is to thank those guests who traveled and put in the extra effort and expense to get to your wedding. They generally spend and sacrifice more than your local guests. Some have to take extra days off of work, drive long distances, or pay for airfare.

Destination Weddings are a whole different ball game. All of your guests are making huge sacrifices to get to your wedding, so you should make them feel extra special and appreciated when they arrive. Some "must haves" for a destination welcome basket: itinerary of any activities that the hotel is offering and local attractions, itinerary of any activities that you have set up for your guests, a map of the area, important phone numbers, and some special local items. Getting married in Hawaii? Include some Kona Coffee or Macadamia Nuts. Getting Married in Ireland? Include miniature umbrellas. Getting married in the islands? Include sunscreen and flip flops. Getting married in Napa? Include wine from a local vineyard.

A Welcome Basket doesn't need to be something that breaks your budget. It can be as simple or elaborate as you'd like. It's important to theme the basket in some way. It doesn't need to be an exact replica of your reception, but it should tie into your big day or you as a couple in some way. Remember to include a personal note from you and your fiance thanking your guests once again.

A new twist on this idea? Have some comfort food delivered to guest rooms during your wedding, so it's waiting for them when they come back. Some ideas we're loving? Milk and cookies. Hot cider and donuts. Warm robes and bubble bath.

Get creative! Your guests will absolutely appreciate the extra effort you put forth to thank them.