Howerton+Wooten Events Blog. The musings of a Maryland Wedding and Event Planner

Funny Wedding Proposals

While perusing the web last year, I came across some wedding proposal videos that made me smile.  so many of them have gone viral, and some of them only got a little response.

Below are some of the wedding proposals that made me smile last year.

Both of my grandmoms loved Bob Barker and The Price is Right, so this wedding proposal was guaranteed to make me chuckle.

Quite frankly, I find the snowman costumes kind of creepy, but I love this guy's courage and creativity.

This is just cute to me.

 

There are so many other funny wedding proposals that have gone viral.  Do you have any to share?

Have a great weekend!  Love and Soul Always, Kay

White Girls Can't Jump? (the reprise)

In the spirit of Inclusivity, I wanted to reprise this blog post.

When it comes to bringing different cultures together, the United Nations has nothing on Weddings.

As a wedding planner, I am privy to the highs and lows of bringing two families together.  It can be quite a ride.  But wedding planning becomes even more interesting when the two families come from different cultures or races.

Last year, this subject came to my attention when a bride (who happened to be Caucasian) asked me if it was okay for her to Jump the Broom.

Here was my response.  I received a lot of feedback (both public and private) from this post -- some positive and some negative.  But, that's okay.  I wouldn't change a single word from the original post.

Love and Soul Always, Kay

Lebron, Your Wedding, and The Peanut Gallery

Okay, here is the deal.

No matter what you do.  No matter what you choose.  You are not going to make everyone happy.

Take a look at Lebron James.  This guy makes a decision about his place of employment, and the peanut gallery has been 'wagging their tongues" ever since.  Everyone thinks they know the best decision for this guy, his family, and his future.

Brides, take note.

Wedding planning almost always brings out the proverbial "Peanut Gallery."

Even though they mean well, your family and friends may stress you out with their opinions of your wedding planning decisions.

Let me repeat this, almost 100% of the time, they mean well.  Their words are almost always based in love.

Here is my advice -- listen to all of it, but don't take it all in.

A lot of the "peanut gallery's" words of (ahem) wisdom will be really good advice.  And, I recommend following some of it.

But, you don't have to let it cause you to "second guess" all of your own decisions.

Do your homework.  Take notes.  Talk to your fiance and your wedding planner.  And, be okay with your decisions.

Your primary goal is to marry the person of your dreams.  While you are at it, you should also have a great time.

Your goal should NOT be pleasing every member of the "peanut gallery."  Because pleasing everyone is not going to happen.

Love and Soul Always, Kay

(Photo: AP)

How Many Bartenders Do I Need At My Wedding Reception?

Have you ever been to a wedding reception where the line to the bar was two miles long?  It's disconcerting, isn't it?

Your guests should be mingling and laughing it up.  Instead, they are waiting in a very long line -- thirsty -- annoyed.

I promise you, you don't want this to happen at your wedding.  Wedding guests talk.

So, here is the deal --

1. The industry standard is one bartender for every 75 wedding guests.  To be perfectly honest, I only recommend this number for beer and wine bars.

2. If you are planning to have a full, open bar, consider one bartender for every 50 wedding guests.

3. If you know that your wedding guests are big drinkers (and you will know if you are inviting drinkers to your wedding), definitely go with one bartender for every 50 wedding guests.  Another idea -- have a wait staff butler pass champagne, wine and sparkling water. 

4. If you can only manage one bartender for every 75 wedding guests, consider hiring an assistant (aka Bar Back or Bar Hand) to help the bartender maintain the stemware, bar condiments, and mixes.

Cheers!

Love and Soul Always, Kay

(Photo: BigStock Photo)

Monday Morning Thoughts: Lessons Learned From My Brief Life as a Baker

In my previous life (500 years ago), my best friend, Juana, and I baked cakes for friends and family.  As time went on, we began selling these cakes.  We didn't do a bad job at it either.

After working at our "day jobs," we would come home and bake these tasty treats.  Then, we would decorate them using our homemade buttercream icing, parchment triangles and our beloved collection of Wilton tips.

We were a couple of hot, young bakers!

As time moved on, we started getting requests for wedding cakes.  And, we said yes.  We thought to ourselves, "This is no big deal.  Just a large cake!"  Right?  Wrong!

We were not prepared for the amount of time it took to prep, decorate, and refine a wedding cake for 150 people.  We didn't have the experience to know that cream cheese icing was not a good idea for a wedding cake at an outdoor wedding reception.  And, goodness knows -- We stunk at transporting that cake.  It was a scene ripped from an "I Love Lucy" episode -- complete with falling sugar flowers and a knuckle full of icing.  Oy!

So, what am I trying to tell you?

1. The next time you hire a wedding vendor, don't just look at their portfolio.  Ask them about their experience working on weddings.  Better yet, ask them about their experience working on weddings at your selected venue.

2. Ask your wedding vendor about their education and training.  Ask your wedding vendors where they honed their skills.  Ask them about their current professional development.  The wedding industry is constantly changing -- You want a vendor who values their craft enough to keep it sharp and fresh.

3. Ask a lot of questions and do your research.  Make sure that you make an educated decision, so do your homework.  Check the vendor's references.  Ask the vendor if they are licensed and insured.  After you ask each question, pay attention to their answers.  And, ask the about their business philosophy -- you may or may not care that you are one of 15 brides they are servicing during your wedding weekend, but it is good to know beforehand.

4. Don't be fooled by the super low prices.  Our prices were substantially less than our competition because 1.) We didn't know what to charge; 2.) We had no overhead because 3.) we had no experience baking a wedding cake.

5. Ask them for an agreement.  When we baked our first wedding cake, we didn't have an agreement with our bride.  Many times that night, we wanted to give up on the cake.  Fortunately, "giving up" wasn't an option for us -- But, we could have.  There was nothing binding us to the wedding except our promise.

So, the next time you hire your wedding vendor, remember the lessons learned from my brief life as a 23-year-old wedding cake baker.  It could make a difference in your wedding day.

Love and Soul Always, Kay

BTW: The Wedding Cake turned out fine.  And, the bride and groom didn't have any clue about our numerous challenges.