So, I've always wanted to do a super fun April Fools joke... but I never have. Or what I thought in my head, never materialized to what I thought was really that amazing!

Soooooooooooo....when I mentioned what I wanted to do to my competition for April Fools, everyone said I had to do it! MUST. HAVE. TO.

So we did.

I cannot thank Shena enough for making our "home video" look amazing!!!

Masterpiece April Fools Prank from Platinum Digital Video on Vimeo.

I read a post by The City Bride and I thought it was exactly what I wast thinking! In this economy, even if you have a bazillion dollars to spend on your wedding, most of our clients are opting not to. Who wants to spend that much to show off for their friends.



So when I read this post, I thought it was out of my own head, so I won't take the credit, although I am pretty sure, she snuck into my head and stole my thoughts.



Photo by: Gina Leigh Photography

So, first off when you have a baby you expect to be overwhelmed with all of the new. New baby, new bed times (or lack there of), new routine, new priorities, new, new new...



But, what I totally didn't expect was the generosity of our friends. I honestly feel like I'll never ever be able to pay our friends back for their generosity.



One of those is Erin from Lucky Designs. If you don't know Erin, or haven't been to her blog, you are totally missing out.



But, before I Uoooo and Ahhh over how amazing she is. Her work is incredible, too! She designs incredible Invitations and announcements and look what she did for us and our new addition! Seriously, perfect!!! And so, so, so, so sweet of her!



I cannot thank her enough!!!

So, normally - I wouldn't do this. But I am breaking my own rules. It probably won't be the last time either. Personal, family post ahead.



Blog world, I'd like to introduce you to Gabriel. Our son. He is one month old- and Powers Photography took some incredible images of him. Take a peek... here. We cannot thank Aunt Susan and Uncle Stewart enough, we are just in absolute love with these photographs.



We know it's something our family will treasure for a lifetime and maybe more.

For a while now I've been debating on re-branding MasterPiece Weddings. Not changing my company's name or doing anything crazy like that. I like the name - but modern'ing up my logo. Just so you think, hmph, something's different, but I can't put my finger on it...



I think over time I realized who I was and not who I thought everyone wanted me to be. Almost 16 years ago now, I created MasterPiece Weddings. It was always to help brides create the wedding of their dreams and that will never change. But with an awesometastic feel, and a modern and fresh twist.



But over time, we've developed a fun and romantical (yes, I said romantical) vision for our company. So, we updated, adjusted - but we have the same warm and gooey center that we've always had.



So without further ado, our new logo... whatcha think?

From all of us at MasterPiece Weddings, we wish you a super duper New Years!



Go out and have fun - make some do'able resolutions, and make the most of your year!



And remember: The rock that is an obstacle in the path of one person becomes a stepping stone in the path of another.

{Source}

Photographerzilla... do you realize that after the wedding, you are what the bride and groom have. Your work. Your albums (hopefully!) Your referrals... not if you are a Photographerzilla! Please, don't zilla'ize yourself!

Photographerzilla, if you want to be at the rehearsal, that'd be great! If you ask to chat with the bridal party for a minute or two, that's great too... but don't turn that 2 minutes into a 30 minute speech about how you'd like things to run tomorrow... uh, not your day.

Photographerzilla, I sent you the timeline in advance we talked about it... you discussed it, we adjusted it to suit your needs... so on the wedding day, if you say you need another 20 minutes, it's really not a big deal, until it starts messing with the other vendors... like, dinner.

Photographerzilla, sounds obviously...but be on time... show up.

Photographerzilla, don't delete the bride and grooms wedding pictures from your memory cards until they are uploaded to your computer in at least duplicate... cuz I've seen photographers loose entire weddings. Literally.

Photographerzilla, meet your deadlines for albums. If you promise an album in 6-8 months after the wedding and a year goes by and the bride and groom still don't have an album (and they met your deadlines) they are gonna be mad.

Photographerzilla, don't scream to your staff at the wedding in the middle of the ceremony. HEY OVER THERE! Everyone can hear you... unprofessional!

Photographerzilla, don't cut the Father of the Bride in the buffet line! I promise you'll get to eat...

Photographerzilla, don't scream curse words at your staff. Everyone can hear you. And it's really bad form if your staff is your wife.

What are your fears for a photographerzilla?

{Photo}

Dear Floristzilla, a bride usually has some very specific ideas for her flowers, or her colors, or her look. And she really puts a lot of stock in you to help her make her vision come true. You can quickly go from being her best friend to her floristzilla...



Floristzilla, if a bride shows you a picture of a bouquet and says she wants it to look exactly like that, make sure that the bride in the picture isn't a size 2 and this your client is a size 14, that will make a difference in the size of the bouquet. And you don't want her to ultimately be disappointed.



Floristzilla, please realize how important colors are to brides. If her colors are Burgandy and Rose, and the blooms show up to you and they are hot pink... please know that isn't going to be acceptable. Fix it before you deliver the bouquets.



Floristzilla, if there is a problem, address it, you ignoring the situation doesn't make things any better. It does in fact, make it worse.



Floristzilla, communication is K-E-Y! Please communicate, don't wait 3 weeks to return a call, don't answer other calls in a meeting with your clients, don't be late to meetings, don't not meet the contract obligations.



Floristzilla, if the bride tells you she has $10,000 to spend and your initial proposal comes back $30,000 that is going to scare her off. Don't do that. And then, don't come back and ask me what happened...



Floristzilla, don't get on your high horse during a meeting, there is already a lot of emotions going on when a wedding is being planned. And additional drama queen (or king) is not necessary.



Wow! There are so many more... what would make your florist a "zilla"?

Caterzilla... oh how we love your food, but your 'tude is killing us!

This post is not about one particular caterer, but about all of the things that caterers can do that make them a 'zilla.

Caterzilla, it would be nice to see an estimate within a few week of meeting with a client. Waiting 9 weeks and then wondering why the client didn't choose you... hmmm.

Caterzilla, if my client wants to know what ingredients are in something you make, it's probably because there is a food allergy, please don't lie. No one is trying to steal your recipes, we just want to make sure that no one dies.

Caterzilla, if my client has menu questions and they email you.... and you don't email them back - EVER. They are bound to be ticked off.

Caterzilla, if someone asks you if you have a set menu to choose from and you don't... and you only do custom menu's for clients, that's okay, but let them know. Don't hang up on them.

Caterzilla, sometimes taking the high road is better than sabatoging an event... oh and doing that, would be just wrong. The high road is always better.

Caterzilla, if you staff is rude - please handle the situation.

Caterzilla, don't blame the bride and groom for your wrong doings... that just upsets everyone.

Again, these are not examples of just my events, they are from my friends who are wedding planners too. From all over... these are all situations that were handled, alot behind the scenes and can all be avoided.

Moral of the story: Hire professionals.

{Photographer: Powers Photography}

I love this picture! Brittany was just such a beautiful bride! And a joy to work with! {PSA - She didn't have a make-upzilla... I just liked the picture}

This week I am going to talk a little bit about 'zilla's. Everyone has heard of the term Bridezilla and frankly... I am not a fan. Honestly, we are blessed, we have amazing brides! I love our brides! If I could collect them all and put them in a little box and keep them with me all of the time I would!

But sometimes you have a vendor that you are working with that forgets, it's the bride's day. And there are 30 other vendors that you are working with that day to make sure that HER day is perfect.

This week is dedicated to that vendor... the its-all-about-me-vendor-who-runs-on-their-own-time-schedule-and-doesn't-care-about-anyone-else-but-them vendor.

Vendorzilla! {insert the dum, dum-dummmmmmmmm music}

Make-upzilla, please return calls that are made to you. If a bride or a wedding planner call you, actually if anyone calls, it's always poliet to return our calls.

Make-upzilla, if you wouldn't mind writing our bride's schedule in our planner so that on the wedding day, when you have 5 girls to do, you don't leave after doing just one...

Make-upzilla, it would be nice if you remembered to write our brides wedding date and trial in your book so that when we call to confirm you know what we are talking about.

Make-upzilla, we create a timeline and give you an hour per face, if you need more time, please let us know. And don't tell us you need 15 minutes per person, when really you need more. That doesn't help anyone.

Make-upzilla, it would also be nice if you remembered the price quoted so that when we call to confirm you are coming, you don't just pull a number out of your your-you-know-what.

Make-upzilla, if you have it noted to come to the brides location where she is getting ready, don't all of a sudden force her to come to the salon... and add a $350 travel fee to the bill.

Keep in mind these are all situation that we've had to work through, through the years. Most, if not all of them were resolved, without the bride knowing!

That is the beauty of having a wedding planner! Allow your wedding planner to handle the details, you just relax and remember it's YOUR day! Your dream day should be perfect!

When I first started blogging I fell in love with Hostess with the Mostess her pictures and her style - ahhh-mazing! If you haven't been there for recipes, decor ideas, drink recipes... really tons and tons of inspiration... you need to!

Not that I play favorites, but one of my favorite people planners... is planning....forever events (don't tell her, it'll give her a big head) her personality totally shines through in her writing, and it made me fall in love with her.



Yup, I have a blog crush.

When you are looking for a fun blog, with tons of great information, look no further than Cocktails and Details. Great drink recipes, beautiful weddings, and everything I need to make me smile.

Check out Lucky Me! for beautiful inspiration boards, gorgeous monograms! Beautiful!!!

Photographer: Rebecca Jones

I love cake! I mean I seriously LOVE CAKE! So when a client asks me what to look for in a cake, I take that very seriously... probably too seriously. Nahhh... it's cake!

How do you taste a cake to make sure that you love it, that it's everything you want it to be, especially your wedding cake!?!?

That's a great question, and I am so glad you asked!

We've actually talked about MasterPiece Weddings and how we do cake tastings for our clients. But let's talk about the actual tasting part.

First, look at the cake, does it look pretty... even if it's just a slice of cake. Is it crumbly or is it a nice moist piece of cake.

Second, check out the filling, is it pretty and glossy... if its fruit, does it look like the fruit it's supposed to be... if it's Strawberry and Cream, does it look like it?

Now you can taste it... but wait!

Taste the filling first, do you like it, is it tasty?

Taste the cake next... Yummy? Moist? Delicious?

Taste the frosting next... what do you think? Too Sweet? Grainy? Deliciously perfect?

Now taste them all together! How do they taste all together, perfect? Be thinking about how the flavors meld in your mouth, do you like the way they all come together?

It should!

That is my idea of the perfect cake tasting!

Now bring on the coffee!

{Source for Image}

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at MasterPiece Weddings! There is so much for to be Thankful for, please take a moment today (as we all should everyday) to give thanks for the amazing blessing in your life!

Just a few things we are thankful for:

• Our amazing clients! I am not just saying that, this past year, we were blessed beyond imaginable levels with how incredible our clients have been! We have definately made friends for a lifetime!


• The vendors that we get to work with day in and day out, how amazing they are, and the incredible lifelong friendships that have come out of those relationships!


• The planners that we love! And I mean that, I know that every wedding planner on the planet is supposed to be our competition, but I find so much influence and guidance from my fellow wedding planners. {You know who you are!}


• Amanda and Erinn - really, this year has been full of amazing'ness for MasterPiece Weddings! We love Gainesville Weddings, and have had the pleasure of doing some amazing things together, and I am so blessed to have them in my life and on my team!


• And if I can get personal and sappy for a moment, my husband and my family! Really, with out you John, to bounce idea's off of, and be my marketing guru, I don't know that our company would be as cool as it is! And my sister - I heart you big alot! You are amazing!

Can't wait for 2010! Thank you for an amazing year! {so far}

Happy Halloween from MasterPiece Weddings!



At our office we always have a blast with Halloween! Check out Gainesville's Best Wedding Planners have some fun with todays holiday!

Let me introduce you to Intern Melissa as Michael Jackson, Me as Beauty Queen - Miss Conception, and our own personal Wild Things Erinn as A Wild Thing, and Amanda as King Max.

Thank you Powers Photography for taking the time to have some fun with us and take our pictures, I know we are dorks -- and you are so patient and wonderful! We love you!

And of course our signature jumping photo!

We have so much fun at MasterPiece Weddings. And I mean that! And after a hard week, I decided that even though we had client appointments, we should have a PJ party at the office. Our clients were asked to wear their PJs to their appointments (and they did!) and we worked as usual, but in comfort (and style... well, a style of of own). 



So when Stewart from Powers Photography found out we were having a Pajama Party he ran over with a camera.... 



You are invited to the MasterPiece Weddings Pajama Party!

First, we decided to try to get some work done... don't we look serious!

 Wouldn't you like to hire Ninja Wedding Planners? Or maybe that's Kung Fu?

Fierce Right!?!?!

We never miss the opportunity to have a few laughs, so the funny faces started to make their appearance:

Watch out, the MasterPiece girls are wild and crazy pillow fighters!

And then sometimes, PJ Parties take a turn and get a little out of control...

We had so much fun and loved taking a break from real life clothes and getting to work in something comfy.



So, next time we throw a party, we better see you there! Thanks Stewart for taking such awesome pictures!

There is a poll below, please participate and let us know your thoughts:

Don't judge a book by it's cover - it's a commonly used saying. Bascially, some of the most unique finds are found in the most unlikely and sometimes plain- of places. Or if you are expecting one thing from "it's cover" you maybe be suprised.

Well, this weekend - I was cutting into a fruit that I've cut into gazillions of times... a Honeydew Melon...

Your typical HoneyDew... the palest of greens on the outside, the thump was perfect, we were ready for the super sweet suculent fruit on the inside.

Well, when I cut it open, this is what I found.

Huh? A HoneyDew on the outside, and Catelope like on the inside?!?!? Is this a new thing, maybe a Honeylope, or a Cantedew?



But, {I promise!} I do have a point, don't judge a book by it's cover, don't think you've found the perfect wedding planner, because you see an advertisment that says they are "the premier planner" that planning company dubbed themselves that... or fall in love with a photographer because they have a nifty website, or a super chic blog... get to know who you are hiring. It's your wedding... learn about your vendors.



In other words...



Read the fine print!