Rock the Diamond

Being engaged can really be stressful at times.. I’m sure you all know that.. so what can you do to make life easier?

For me, I’m an organizer so I like to make checklists for myself to really put things into focus.  Once I’m complete with a certain task then I can check it off and see what else I have left.  So here is my own bridal checklist for my wedding:

• Pick Wedding Date :  Check
• Pick Ceremony/Recetpion Venue: Check
• Pick Bridal Party: Check
• Find wedding dress: Check
• Create a preliminary guest list: Check
• Book officiant or deacon or priest: Check
• Book photographer: Check

These are the things I’ve taken care of so far because to me, I feel they are the most important.  Like I stated before, the venue and the date are the hardest things to take care of.  Once that is booked then it can really be an incredible journey!

So what to do now??  Well, these are the items I think are important to take care of BEFORE the engagement party…

• Start registry at select stores
• Finalize Guest list
• Pick Bridesmaids gowns (usually if you pick this at the same shop as your gown they’ll be more willing to cut you a discount.. the more you buy.. the more you save)
• Decide color scheme and theme for overall wedding

Now why are these important you may ask… WELL.. clearly you want to have your registry done so that your engagement party guests can purchase gifts for you, you want to have your bridesmaid gowns picked because then your gals can discuss different ideas for the dress and most of the time all your gals dont know each other so you have a starting subject for conversation (hopefully good convo to follow), picking the color scheme and overall theme is always important before you start your parties/showers because you want the theme to begin in those.  From invitations to decorations.. you can let your shower/party hosts know how you want your wedding theme to come across.

Trust me I know how you all feel right now and this wedding planning process will definitely bring out some emotions you didn’t realize you had  but just know you always have people who can help.  You can hire a fabulous wedding planner (wink wink), you have your parents/family, and above all.. you have your favorite gals and you’re wonderful future ‘hubs to be’ to lean on.

Soak it in ladies.. the fun has just begun!!

Alright, at first when I became engaged I was hesitant about telling that to the brides I was working with.  I didn’t want them to think that because I’m planning my wedding that it would take away from theirs.  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  I feel like because I’m a bride like you now.. I can completely relate much more than I could before because I’m going through it too.

So, now that we’re on this journey together I thought I’d take this year to let you know what I’m doing each month for my wedding.  Hopefully this will helps you gals who aren’t sure of what should be taken care of when and what month.

The first thing that needs to be determined is when do you want your wedding?

Do you need a long engagement? or are you pretty sure you have everything planned in your head already?

For me, I had an idea.. obviously with working with soo many brides over the years I’ve taken notes

I had to decide for myself which was more important.. the date of the wedding or the actual venue.  In my situation, the venue was important and I was flexible with my date.  So, I called the venue immediately after he proposed and gave them my range of availability (time frame of months that were possible to get married) and had them send me the list of open dates.  Once I received that, I put a deposit down for the reception venue on the date that worked best.  Then, I called the church that I was interested in using to see if they were available.  Luckily, they were!  However, if they weren’t then I had looked at other churches I thought were gorgeous and had them as backup plans.  YOU ALWAYS WANT A BACKUP!  Let’s say the date is the most important to you and the future hubs.. then you definitely need at least two back up venues.

Now I have my reception and ceremony venue in lock down.. WOOT!

Typically, these two items are the most important aspects to get taken care of.

Next you want to start dress shopping… trust me.. have your venues picked before you shop for the perfect dress.  Especially if you want  a ceremony in a church, they will 9 times out of 10 have restrictions on what you can and cannot wear.  Also, you need to have the venue booked because lets say you’re having an outdoor reception.. clearly you don’t want a MASSIVE dress with lots of layers.. you’ll get hot; you want something with more movement.  On the flip side.. if you have your reception in a grand ballroom then you want your dress to match that atmosphere.

You also want to wait to pick how many bridesmaids you want until you booked the space.  If you have an outdoor ceremony, it will look silly if you have 10 girls.  On the other hand, if you have a cathedral or large chapel then 10 is okay.  The space needs to match the wedding.  Before you pick the attendants you might also want to consider how large your guest count is.  You don’t want half the guest list standing at the altar now do you?

Just some things to think about this first exciting month after the boyfriend becomes the future hubs

Happy Planning!  I’m right there with you..

Just passing this along. They are having a Fashion Show, hors’doeurvres, champagne, favors, make-up demos… and over $5000 in prizes and giveaways………… sounds like a nice sunday afternoon?
The WESTIN
Canal place 2-5

Hello!!! Welcome to the new ROCK the DIAMOND blog!!!
For those of you new to our blog let us fill you in….
- Rock the Diamond – is a shared blog between a wedding coordinator and a photographer. We are Liddy and Elizabeth! Liddy is the wedding planner. She has a hip and stylish approach to working with you to create a wedding you’ll never forget. Elizabeth is the photographer. She takes the cake with creativity and captures the day with an edgy modern style. We love weddings!

Hello! Elizabeth Here!
Happy New Year! Its good to be back in the Rock the Diamond land with our fancy pants blog and new ideas! I was going get the photo side of the diamond rolling with this engagement set I did earlier this month with Amanda and Joshua. They wanted to do French Quarter but with a nice and wintery feel so they bundled up and we went to the W hotel courtyard and snapped pics up and down canal street. I love all the elements in these pictures… the palm trees, the shadows, the shoes, textured doorways, the buildings on canal street….. Amanda and Joshua- Congrats in the Engagement!!
(also featured on my PHOTOBLOG)
~Eray

Hello lovely people!
:Winter Wedding Dream Ideas to come soon!:
But first I wanted to give a shout out to a wonderful vendor in the New Orleans Area.
Let me tell you about Three Bells Press:
“Three Bells Press offers a line of bespoke wedding invitations featuring original illustrations and designs that meld elegant vintage design inspirations with a modern sensibility and contemporary color palette.”
Her studio is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. All printing is done in-house, to the highest of standards.
check them out at : www.threebellspress.com
P.S. the invitation shown above is called Enchanted Garden