Attn: Local Wedding Planners

Recently it has come to my attention that there is a new wedding planning business in the area who has taken my information directly off of Simply Perfect Wedding's website and is now using it as their own. Things such as my planning package descriptions/details and FAQ section have literally been copied and pasted (word for word) off my website and on to theirs. I will not mention names; however, I am deeply hurt and quite honestly appalled that someone would actually do such a thing.

I wanted to get the message out there - especially to local Pittsburgh wedding planners who I know have worked hard to build their businesses and take pride in their websites. After all, our websites are our #1 resource for potential clients who are looking for wedding planning services.

Anyone who thinks it is acceptable to copy and paste someone else's hard work and use it as their own clearly cannot be trusted.

Pittsburgh has a wonderful wedding market of great vendors...many of whom I can call personal friends and it is a shame that this has happened.

Our Wedding Day 07.05.08

We're finally getting back into the swing of things and our wedding season here at Simply Perfect Weddings is getting busier and busier by the day! However, I wanted to take a few minutes to post about our wedding day. First, I must say a BIG thank you to all of our wonderful vendors who made our wedding day a huge success! I cannot say enough about everyone involved on the day of our wedding...we truly feel so lucky to have worked with such quality vendors. For our wedding day, we chose a red and white color combination with black accents. We wanted our wedding to be an intimate (we had only 60 guests) yet classy, formal affair. Over a year went into planning our wedding and many of the items I "DIY'd". I hand made the ceremony programs, seating cards, and table #'s (all seen pictured below). Here are a few more photo's and a listing of our vendors:

Bridal Party

Cake from Bethel Bakery

Centerpiece - Mocha Rose

Centerpiece - Mocha Rose

Bridal Bouquet - Mocha Rose

Bridal Party Bouquets in personalized vases

Bridesmaid Bouquet - Mocha Rose

DIY Seating Cards

Table Setting

Wedding Vendors

Church - Smithfield United Church of Christ

Reception - Monterey Bay Fish Grotto (Mt. Washington)

Cake - Bethel Bakery

Florist - Mocha Rose Floral Designs

Linens - Victoria's Linens (412.767.6595)

Transportation - Amore' Limousines

Photographer - n-Focus

Wedding Coordinator - Simply Perfect Weddings

Hotel Accommodations - Sheraton Station Square

Hair/Makeup - Philip Pelusi

Guest Welcome Bags

In the recent months, I've received a growing number of questions regarding help with guest welcome bags so I wanted to share some of my ideas with my readers. Guest welcome bags are a GREAT way to make your out of town guests feel welcomed and appreciated. Your guests travel from all over and often times spend a substantial amount of time and money just getting to your wedding so it's a nice gesture to show them that you appreciate them. When deciding on what to put in your welcome bags, try putting yourself in their shoes and decide what would be most important to you if you were traveling a great distance for someones wedding. Would it be a map of the area? Or a means of cooling off on a hot summer day such as a bottle of water or fan?

Here's a list of some goodies to put into your welcome bags:

• Map of the area with directions to ceremony/reception locations
• Schedule of the wedding weekend (including rehearsal dinner arrangements if invited)
• Pamphlets/brochures of things to do around the area (beside your wedding)
• Bottled water
• Gourmet chocolates/cookies
• Mints
• Tissues (for those tears of joy!)
• Fans (especially for an outdoor wedding or a church with no a/c)
• Post cards from the area (especially if this is their first time visiting)
• Popular local snacks (if they wont make a mess!)
• A small souvenir related to the area (i.e. sports team key chain)
• Disposable camera

If you're having a tropical/beach destination wedding, try filling your welcome bags with these:

• Sunscreen/suntan lotion
• Beach towel
• Chapstick with SPF
• Guidebook to the area
• Flip-flops

My personal advice for filling your welcome bags is NOT to go to the dollar store, but to instead try a bulk store like Sam's Club or Costco. You can generally get better quality items at these types of stores instead of a dollar store. Whatever you decide to fill your bags with, do try to remember that your guests will have to carry all of this with them - try not to make it too heavy and don't over think it. A few thoughtful items will go a long way with your guests! :)

We're Back!

I just wanted to write a quick hello to let everyone know that I'm back from my honeymoon and already back into the full swing of planning! :)

The wedding was AMAZING and the honeymoon was even better! Here are a few pictures from the day...I have lots more to share with you later, as well as the professional pictures which I should have back in a few weeks.

Stay tuned for our regular blog posts later this week!