I am so excited to be starting my newest venture, the Wedding Planning Boutique, to address all the calls for help I have received over the years from brides and grooms who just wanted to know where to start and who needed a "home base" of sorts for their wedding planning versus going all over the earth looking for guidance. WPB is my answer to that. I have put my heart and soul into this planning boutique, not to mention all of the elbow grease of putting together bookshelves, tables, and everything else that goes into putting a boutique together. You totally take for granted the hard work that goes into a shop, until you have to do it. I hope that if you are engaged you take the time to visit it and give me feedback about how it can be a resource for you and your fiancee as you plan your wedding.
I have tried to think of everything that you need to plan a wedding and have literally dumped (in a nice and gentle way) all of the resources that I have used as a wedding planner into the boutique. When you come you can peruse binders of sites with brochures that you can read through to figure out where you want to visit in the area. A lot of times people do not even know what sites are out there.
You can pick up a list of recommended vendors - - those professionals that I have found to be tried and true in the business and who are a beautiful combination of talent, great customer service, and who have basic business essentials such as an e-mail address, website, a contract; you know all of the things that you would think you would need to run a successful enterprise!
Move over Barnes and Noble, I have an extensive library of wedding books and magazines for you to dream and mull over to create your wedding day vision.
If you are grappling with a planning issue, you can share it with me, someone who has heard it all and had to help solve many a problem for my clients. Sometimes it helps to have someone removed from the situation just listen and give advice.
I also am approaching select vendors to provide special activities in the boutique. For example, starting soon my favorite make-up artist, Amanda Ritchie (found at www.mandimakeup.com), will be doing complimentary make-up trials on Mondays for all of you who are debating about hiring someone to complete your look on your wedding day or who have not yet selected someone. Stay tuned for other boutique activities.
There is a small retail aspect of the boutique with an assortment of wedding stationery (invitations, programs, and the like), accessories, and soon to come jewelry for brides and bridesmaids.
Finally, I am committed to being as green as possible by offering for rent vases and votive holders and all the other essentials for a wedding day so that you can keep some money in your pocket and benefit from materials others have used for their weddings. After your wedding, if you do not know what to do with the 200 votives you purchased, you can post them on our recycling board and see if another bride wants to buy them from you. Depending on the item, I may decide to purchase them from you.
I hope to see you at the boutique someday soon! Remember, we are here to help you make your wedding planning experience fun, enjoyable, and as stress free as possible!
