What if you could have the wedding of your dreams for 1/2 the cost? 

That’s EXACTLY what will happen to one lucky bride this December. Excellent Christmas present!

Not only will the lucky bride receive 1/2 off any wedding package at the Balch, we have many other fantastic vendors offering either 1/2 off or other special prizes from their services. There are photographers, florists, hair, makeup, rentals, gifts, planners, and much more! Even more vendors will be added at the end of this month!

Check out the Sweepstakes Page on the Balch site to find out how to enter, get more information, and click on the links to see the quality vendors that are participating!

Why should Pimp my Ride cars get all the pampering? Friend the Balch on Facebook to Primp your Bride instead!

Call today to schedule your tour at the Balch.

The Sunniest Wedding Location in the Gorge!
541-467-2277

While looking for some fun, unique items to give to the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic riders in June (a FUN pit stop for amateur riders is here at the Balch), I found a site with some great personalized items for your wedding!

Jeff actually hand delivered our invitations to Bridal Veil post office so they’d have the Bridal Veil stamp on them. His idea! How about creating your own save the date stamp?

On this site, Zazzle, you can customize stamps, magnets, t-shirts, and much more! What a fun gift for your bridesmaids to go out for your shower in cute, customized T’s.

Happy Shopping!! There is so much out there to really personalize your wedding. It’s an event.  Make it be remembered!

Two of my MOST favorite wedding forums/resources are on The Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings. They aren’t just for brides!

When Jeff and I were engaged and in the FUN time of planning and figuring out what we wanted, I came about the Martha Stewart weddings forums and it was FABULOUS! I asked all sorts of questions from etiquette to invitation wording.

Unbeknownst to me, my fiance went incognito onto the forum because he had a question of his own! He was looking for the best planning book out there. This lead him to The Knot. It was GREAT! I highly recommend getting a planning book, downloading a guide, or simply hiring a planner to be your “book”. It gave us a realistic idea of what we needed to do and by when. It made us even more thankful for our planner, Stacy!

I suggest you click on the links below and have a BALL on the sites. Your mind will be swimming with fantastic ideas.

Do you have a favorite site of your own? Leave us a comment with your recommendation!

Here’s to years of wedded bliss.

How fun it is to get together with your girlfriends for makeovers, pampering, massage, spray tans, the works!! Spa treatments are SUCH a great way to celebrate AND get looking fabulous before your big day.

Beautiful, healthy skin takes time and planning. For picture-perfect skin on your wedding, Erika, owner of Columbia Laser Skin Center in The Dalles and Hood River, put together this fantastic timeline for preparation!

Six-twelve months before the wedding:

□ Complimentary consultation with skin care specialist.

Begin Treatments For:

• Acne • Rosacea • Sun damaged skin

• Excess brown pigment (melasma, sun & age spots)

• Laser hair removal • Skin tightening procedures (Titan)

Four months before the wedding:

□ First Botox treatment to relax those fine lines and wrinkles

□ Laser facial and leg vein treatments

□ Begin Latisse treatment for longer, darker & thicker lashes

Two-Three Months Before The Wedding:

□ Juvederm: fills deep lines & wrinkles; enhances lip volume; corrects under eye circles

□ Begin series of 6 facials (includes microdermabrasion & chemical peels)

□ Brow wax, shape and tint

One Month Before The Wedding:

□ Pre-wedding Botox treatment

Two Weeks Before The Wedding:

□ Pre-wedding facial

Three- Four Days Before The Wedding:

□ Book final waxing and/or tint appointment

□ Massage and body polish

One-Two Days Before The Wedding:

□ NovaLash Lash Extensions

□ Mystic Spray-On Tan

Day After Your Wedding:

□ Relaxing couples massage for the Bride & Groom

Columbia Laser Skin Center is having a special on May 6th from 4:30-7:00.

A perfect time for you and your girlfriends to visit and enjoy an evening out!

When I reminisce about past weddings I think about all the small details that make the day so great and so much fun for all of the guests. I am not naïve to think that a wedding is a day for the bride and the groom but being somewhat of a realist (and somewhat of a people pleaser) we want all of our guests to have a great time! I guess it wouldn’t be selfish of you to think that you want the day to be all about you… oh come on it’s your wedding, everybody should be thinking about what they need to do to make you happy! So how do you give your guests a great time and still be focused on the real task at hand? Well that is what I hope my tip will help you accomplish.

Planning the day is already a daunting task so a little part of me feels bad that my tip includes a night of additional planning. Close your eyes and imagine seeing old friends and relatives that you haven’t seen for some time. When you first see these people there may tend to be what I might call a “catch up” period. This is the time when people are getting familiar with one another again and breaking the ice while learning more about Aunt Ida’s varicose veins and the guys she thinks are cute on dancing with the stars.

While the rehearsal dinner is a great pre-cursor to your big day and does take the edge off of people breaking though the ice it usually is meant for a just a small group of people.  A separate gathering the night before for out of town guests might be just the ticket to seeing more guests, getting time to catch up, and if you’re lucky another chance for a bridesmaid to become a bride.

Regardless of the size of your wedding a night of mingling with out of town guests and visitors may be another great chance to get introductions out of the way and time to thank guests for celebrating your big day. The extent of this get together is up to you. I have seen this type of event put together as a separate event all together, catering and all, to a simple cocktail hour in the hotel bar.  This tip is not meant to give you an additional event to plan or even another budget item but rather a better chance for your guests to have a great time and make a weekend of your wedding celebration!

Mari-Beth
Gorge Events!

Highest form of flattery . . . imitation!

Some may call it stealing but it’s not stealing if you are inspired by the idea. That’s Samantha logic.

I‘ve come across a very fun site, utterly engaged that just conducted a table design challenge for wedding professionals using paper, fabric, or industrial materials. Now, keep in mind that these are PROS. It pays to hire the professionals, they have got it going on! However, I  do know some very creative types who could take some of these ideas and be inspired to create their own fabulous display.

My personal favorite received honorable mention :

Don’t know what it is about these, but I’d have them around  at my house! I’d throw a party just to show them off.

You can click here to link directly to this design page.

Whatever your favorite may be, have fun looking, dreaming, planning, and get inspired!

Do you need a wedding planner?

I encounter many brides, moms, aunts, and friends that are excited to “do it all”. This excitement is GREAT!! It’s part of what can make your wedding very wonderful – filled with memories from start to finish. Question is, what kind of memories are in the making?

There are SO many things to take into consideration:

How long do I have to plan? (12 month check lists are common!)
Do I have a full schedule already?
How big is my guest list?
How helpful and organized are my loved ones?
Are my helpers giving suggestions that reflect their wishes or mine? (It’s like opening the gift from your favorite aunt . . . do you open the gift and wonder, “what was she thinking?? this would look great on her but it is NOT my style.” Not helpful for helping to execute your vision for your big day.)

A wedding planner might be just what you need to keep the peace – both in the family and your peace of mind. Remember, they are the experts with experience, knowledge, and references for quality vendors from florists to DJ’s.

You want the day to go smoothly with deliveries and quality vendors.  Can you imagine not having the DJ or your cake show up? At my OWN wedding (10 years ago) my planner picked up my dress from the final pressing and it had a HUGE black mark right on the front! This was the NIGHT BEFORE my wedding. Not good. My planner went through the ringer getting it fixed for me and I was none the wiser. She took care of the problem and all the while I was in the state of night-before-my-wedding-euphoria. That’s valuable! She was worth her weight in gold.

Planners have packages to help fit your needs. They range from day-of coordination (GREAT because you can just have fun getting ready!!) to full service planning packages to help you with everything from picking out your color palate to helping your guests with accommodations.

Be sure your planner fits your personality and needs! They are professionals with the vision, resources, and knowledge to make your day a dream come true. Meet with a few different planners. A complimentary consult might be just what you need!

Break it down for me baby!
(I think that’s a lyric from some 80’s song in my head. . . look out!)

Tips for budgeting! The place place to start.

First you and your fiance should decide what’s most important to you both. Where do you want to focus your efforts? After having helped more than a few brides, I must say that location and photography are items to weigh heavily. Your photos will be memorabilia for your family for generations to come! I LOVE looking at old family photos from weddings and other important celebrations. Think about perusing through grandma’s album and looking at her fabulous clothes!

Questions to start the conversation:

Who do we really want to celebrate with?
Start making your guest list!

Is there something special you’ve done, or something about you that you want reflected in your wedding day?
For example, one of my couples had their proposal in the coffee shop at Powell’s books! While he was popping the question some random guy apparently thought they needed to move over on the bench! So, right in the middle of the proposal, ring in hand, this random man asked them to slide over! (Yo, dude! Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something rather important??) Parenthesis are my thoughts. They just laughed and slid over!

Who is contributing financially?
Are you and your fiance paying for the bulk or are parents wanting to contribute? Knowing these things in advance definitely helps with your planning and stress level!

Here’s an excellent guide to help you with that budget.

Reception (food and spirits, rentals and venue) 40-50%
Flowers 10%
Photography/Videography 10%
Attire 5-10%
Music 5-10%
Planner 10-15%
Misc. (officiant, invitations, licences, gifts, etc.) 10%
Cushion 5-15%

Remember, don’t be so rigid that you stress out about your budget. If you truly fall in love with a place, photographer, or some over the top dress, simply move your numbers around. Your day should reflect you and your fiance, and you should love everything about it!

This will be the first of our Tuesday Wedding Tip of the Week! I’ll be working on giving you some GREAT wedding tips from planning to etiquette.

Why Tuesday?

Well, Tuesday seems to be the “Middle Child” day of the traditional work week. Think about it. Monday it’s back to work day. Monday has a cloud or sunshine all its own (depending on how much you love or don’t love your job.)! Monday elicits a powerful image all by itself when someone says “Monday”. Wednesday, well, that’s hump day. Wednesday signifies that you’re half way through your productive work week! Wednesday is exciting! Thursday is the day before Friday, filled with its own positive anticipation, and Friday has received TONS of mileage: T.G.I.F., Casual Fridays, Cocktails or dinner Friday night celebrating the end of the week and the beginning of your weekend. . . . Poor Tuesday. It’s been neglected, forgotten, looked over, and doesn’t have a ton going for it. That’s about to change!

Tuesday’s Tip of the Week is born! (Besides I like the alliteration of Tuesday and Tip. I will gladly entertain commentary and suggestions for more alliteration or some other catchy name! In the end it all helps Tuesday’s image.) We’re going to redefine Tuesday and give you something good and valuable and fun to associate with this day!

I know, it seems like a lot of pressure to put on ourselves, the redefining of an entrenched work week’s image, created since the dawn of time by whomever started the “work week”. Well, we are up to the challenge!! Now, what to do for the kick off. . . . .

Here’s my all time favorite tip: “Don’t spit in the wind.”

That’s not very bridal . . .

Let’s go this route:

Receiving Line Etiquette

Who’s Involved?
Traditionally the receiving line includes (in this order) the Bride’s Parents, the Bride and Groom, and the Groom’s Parents. The Bridesmaids and Groomsmen are optional. Depending on the familiarity of your wedding party and guests, you can best decide whether or not to have them in the receiving line! I’ve been to large weddings where the entire wedding party was in the receiving line. I was interested in my friend and congratulating her new husband. It was awkward meeting the first-cousin-once-removed-I-need-to-keep-peace-in-the-family-bridesmaid. Not really necessary.

When do we have the receiving line?
It is done right after the ceremony or just before the reception. Your guests will appreciate the time (albeit short) time with you. It’s just good manners! They’ve chosen to celebrate this special day with you and, in most cases, brought a gift! Go ahead and get some lipstick on your cheeks and smash that boutonniere with hugs. When in your life will you get this much lavish attention from the people you love? Enjoy it!

What do I say?
Ideally you should introduce your spouse and your parents to the guests they do not know. However, you might not know a guest that your parents have invited! In most cases guests are pretty darn great at introducing themselves down the line. Remember though, you will make a nice impression by doing the introductions yourself.  A receiving line is a great way to meet and personally thank all your guests.

What if my parents are divorced?
There are many variables here. . . Normally they don’t stand next to each other because that gives the impression that they are a couple. If your divorced parents don’t really care, have them stand together! If your parent is remarried and you have a good relationship with the new spouse you could invite him/her to be in the receiving line as well. If this isn’t really the best option, have mom first, the bride and groom, the groom’s parents, then the bride’s father. You want to make it as comfortable as possible for your family and friends. This is a good thing to talk with them about before hand so there is no awkwardness (make lists and discuss who’s involved in which photos too!).

 Happy Planning!

I am such a SAP!!! Had a great time at the bridal show at the Civic in The Dalles Last Saturday. They had a fashion show and of course I left the booth to go watch!! I was sitting near the door with a great view of the models as they descended the stairs. Here comes a cute little ring bearer boy escorting a gal in a beautiful bridal dress. I couldn’t believe it!! I started tearing up right then and there! I had to get a grip and tell myself, “it’s a fashion show Samantha”. . . . 

For all my hub-bub about being nervous designing and setting up a booth, it turned out GREAT!!! Sorry the photos are just from our little point and shoot camera. They don’t quite do it justice but you get the idea! I partnered with Carol from Palate Pleasers , and hung photos from the very talented Jim Semlor, Kimberly Kay, and Vlado Sklenar. Carol she added such beauty with her cakes, flowers, and design. I think our booth rocked!! By the amount of traffic we had, I think people agreed!