Love Gets Sweeter: Geraldine & Michael's Wedding 11/19/11 Vegas

This past year I had the honor of being a bridesmaid to one of my dearest friend Geraldine! I was elated for Gee and Mike when I heard that they were engaged and then when she asked me to be a part of her wedding...all I could think about is how can I help her plan the ultimate wedding??? I know the stress that comes with planning and anything I could provide, suggest and assist; I did! Obviously, I cannot take all the credit with the ideas but I help guide her maid of honor, Sharon in the right direction. We were savvy shoppers and I was all about making sure she got the best for the lowest price possible! That meant taking several trips to downtown LA to find the perfect bridesmaid dress for a reasonable price, a lovely veil and hair piece for close to nothing (in the wedding world) and any specialty item I could find for wholesale price!

Although I was not a coordinator in this event, I offered to help her with the program pages, guest seating display and place cards/party favors. It definitely took over 2 weeks worth of man hour to put this all together but it turned out fantastic! I even personalized her garter with her wedding colors and something blue:) I also helped with hair and make up on the wedding day! 8 girls= waking up at 7am! And lucky for Gee, I did it for free:)

After rehearsal, we ran to several last minute issues but I helped Gee calm her nerves and took some of her stress away. After all, the bride to be needs her beauty rest and relaxation time the night before the wedding! On the day of the wedding, like any other wedding---it is a tad stressful! One thing I learned from previous weddings was to never let the bride know when something goes wrong. If you have to lie to her and tell her everything will be fine and not to worry about the details on the day of her wedding, then that's what you just have to do! For example, when we got to the church, the florist ran late and our bouquets and the flower girls' pompoms were no where in sight. The bride was a little upset but I spoke to the florist and she reassured me that it will come right on time. Of course, the bridesmaid and brides bouquet made it JUST in time but the florist forgot the flower girls' pompoms. As any wedding coordinator would do, you tell the bride not to worry and that it will come whether or not it does. The wedding ceremony goes on regardless of who and what is not there. :)

Even when everything is planned to a teeeeee, not every detail will play out as you would like. BUT the important thing is that as a bride & groom, you enjoy it stress-free! That's why its so important to have someone assist you through the last month and day of the wedding!