Ten Things to Do When Starting to Plan a Wedding

Posted in Wedding Planning by

My dear friend Kelly, of PeanutButterandKelly.com, recently became engaged to her boyfriend Steven aka Schmidtty. Here they are right after he popped the question…in Vegas!

Adorable, right? Kelly quickly reached out to me for help figuring out where to begin with planning her wedding. See, her and her Schmidtty are moving to AUSTRALIA (so jealous!) and need to get as much planning done for their Chicago nuptials before heading down under around the holidays.

Just going through the wedding planning process, I sent her some thought starters to get the whole process going. So here are my 10 things to do to start planning a wedding:

1. Celebrate!! Take AT LEAST a week or two to enjoy being engaged.

2. Figure out where (city) you want to get married. This should involve a discussion between you, your fiancee and parents (if they’re paying).

3. Decide on a season you’d like to get married in. I’m partial to Spring since it’s before all your friends get inundated with weddings and it won’t be unbearably hot! Fall is also a great time too.

4. Make a rough guest list to give yourself an idea of the capacity your venue will need to hold. Task your parents with helping list out family and friends. Or better yet, get your married siblings old lists!

5. Determine what’s more important to you: the venue (church or reception site) or the date. If it’s the venue, then call them immediately and see when they’re available. If it’s the date, then crowd source places you like to see if any fit your calendar.

6. If you don’t have a place in mind, then the next step is to figure out some venue options. The Internet is a great resource for finding ideal wedding locations. You can also look on local photographer’s websites to see where other couples have gotten married (that way you can research photographers AND venues at once).

7. Before setting your date in stone, research the weekend to make sure there aren’t any major conferences, sporting events or tourist traps taking place in your city that weekend. If there are, keep in mind hotel prices may be sky high and flights for guest pricey.

8. Research and book the vendors you care most about. If you have your heart set on a photographer, certain band or make up artist. Call them to lock in their availability right away. You’ll have more time to think about the auxiliary players you care less about.

9. Search for hotels close to your reception site and begin negotiations with them for a block rate. Make sure you read the contract carefully, or you might end up in a debacle like we did!

10. Set a timeline for getting your dress, bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen attire. Sometimes dresses can take up to six months, so if your engagement is short, you’ll want to start dress shopping right away.

Getting these first 10 things checked off your list will help ensure you’re is a really good place for your wedding planning. Once the above is figured out, the rest of the details will fall into place and you’ll have some time to relax and enjoy the process.

Would you guys add anything to my top ten? Rearrange the order? Let me (and Kelly) know!

PS- Congrats Kelly and Schmidtty! So happy for you guys.

The Mecca of Mommy Blogging

Posted in Daily Musings, Liz's Life by

As many of you know, I work in public relations and specialize in social media – ie Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and of course bloggers!

Hands down my favorite sect of bloggers to work with are mom bloggers and this weekend I’ll be going to New York for the mecca of mom blogging….the 2010 BlogHer Conference.

For those outside of the social media/PR world, the concept of a blogging conference is a little out there. But don’t underestimate the power these women have!

Many have 50,000+ other moms reading their blogs every day. They have agents, book deals and big brands swooning at their feet with offers of trips, new kitchen appliances and even paid spokesperson gigs.

Beyond that, many of them have busy households, multiple kids and  home schooling responsibilities. Pretty impressive if you ask me!

So what does one do at a female blogging conference?? Well, you attend sessions like “Social Media is Bringing Sexy Back to Branding — Do You Have the Social Media Strategy and Tools for Success,” go to parties like “CheeseburgHer,” but most importantly, meet and get to know the women behind your favorite blogs.

Oh yeah, there’s karaoke involved too. This is me embarassing myself last year:

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I can’t turn down a good karaoke party.

Anyway, last year was my first time at BlogHer, and I had a wonderful time getting to know some mom bloggers who are now good friends of mine. We crashed parties, went to dinner and talked about what being a mom and a blogger was like (I was a very captive audience).

This year should be a whole new experience though because now I am no longer an outsider, but a blogger myself! I’m hoping to learn the keys to writing great content, finding new readers and balancing a busy schedule with writing.

I’m definitely going to be the newbie among these seasoned bloggers (except of course when it comes to karaoke), but it should be fun!

Wired Home Decorations

Posted in Liz's Life, Party Ideas by

This weekend Luke and I high-tailed it out of Chicago to visit our families in Indiana and Ohio. This meant I had plenty of time on the train or in the car to check out what’s new on my favorite site: Etsy!

I came across these unique and sweet wire decorations. They are very shabby chic and whimsical. I could see them fitting perfectly into any girlie decor.



I thought all of these wire creations were so one-of-a-kind! They’d sure spark conversation in any room. The prices are great too, with most pieces costing below $50.

I am especially digging the birdcage wall hanging. I think I’d use it to hang key on near the front door. :)

Check out the artist behind these creations at Bird From a Wire’s Facebook page.

In a Rut

Posted in Daily Musings, Married Life by

I was sitting at my computer contemplating what to write about today and my mind was a complete blank.

OK….lets think….what is going on in your life that you’re excited to share, Liz?

UM….?

Truth is, there’s really not much going on that I feel motivated to tell you guys about. Lately I’ve been feeling in a bit of a standstill. Work is the same, my relationships are the same, weekends are the same…I’m craving something different!

Don’t get me wrong, life is great, but it’s just feeling a little monotonous lately. I don’t get excited about the things I used to. I’m feeling like I need to evolve in some way. Quarter life crisis?

This weekend for example, I met up with two of my girlfriends to attend the Taste of Lincoln street festival, historically my favorite summer fest. We knew a friend working a tent who could get us drinks, it was a beautiful night and a good band was playing. Sounds like a great time, right?

In the middle of the party, one of my friends and I were yelling at each other over the music, drinking our luke-warm beer, watching intoxicated people act stupid when we both realized that what used to be a highlight of our summers was now just…sort of…boring.

It’s official. I need to switch up my routine and start doing some new things! What I enjoyed two years ago just isn’t cutting it anymore. Now I just have to figure out what WILL be fun and get my friends to agree with me!

How do you guys shake things up when you’re feeling in a rut?