Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Tools in tackling the Wichita and Kansas City Bridal Shows this weekend!

Tools for Tackling the 2015 Wedding Shows


Congratulations to all of the engaged couples! This weekend is the Wichita Bridal Show that will take place at Century II and the Kansas City Bridal Show located at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Attending a bridal show can be most helpful in planning your wedding. They are exciting, festive and full of terrific ideas. You will be able to meet and ask questions from many wedding professionals all under one roof. You will want to gather information, compare prices and services, receive discounts, register for prizes, see the latest fashions, get great new ideas and simply just have fun.  The bridal shows are big so go early. Plan to spend a minimum of 4 or 5 hours in order to see all the exhibits. Don't be in a rush to get through! When you first walk into the show it can be very overwhelming, daunting and stressful. I have come up with 12 tips for the year 2015 that will help you have a productive, enjoyable time!

1. The most important and also the most obvious would be solidifying a wedding date before you go so that as you are talking to vendors you will be able to see if your specific date is even available.

2. Before you go to the show, make a list of the different vendors you need to get information on and some keys questions you have for each one. Such as: venue, catering, florist, cake, photographer, etc.

3. Before you start talking to any of the vendors, take a stroll around the show. Sample cake, look at decor, take brochures, watch the runway shows, etc. so you see what all is available. After you have been able to look around you are able to better understand your needs and wants and will be able to communicate that better when you talk to each of the vendors you will need.

4. Start a conversation with the people at the booths. Don't be shy. You will know right away if they are someone you would want to work with in planning for your special day. It is very important that you get along with the vendors you choose.

5. Wedding shows are not supposed to be stressful or overwhelming. There is so much to see and so many vendors. Taking your time to view each exhibit will help reduce the stress. Remember wedding planning is preferably done over time, not in one day. It's one decision at a time and at the Wichita Bridal Show, you have two days to cover ground, so no need to rush through. 

6. Bring a small notebook and pen. You never know what tips or ideas you'll discover and want to write down. It will also be hard to remember which vendor told you what after you have left the show!

7. Some vendors offer drawings for prizes. To make this a speedy process, bring address labels to save time in filling out registration blanks.

8. Material swatches that suggest the colors of your wedding are helpful when speaking with florists, bakers, gown shops and other professionals. Know the size of your wedding party, your color scheme, and the location of your reception facility if you have already booked your venue. You may also want to bring pictures of some of the things you have seen that you like for decor to show to the different vendors as well so they have a good understanding of your vision.

9. Have a couple of people attend the show with you so that you have more eyes to see and ears to hear all the things you will be taking in.

10. A lot of vendors give discounts at the show. Take advantage of this if you are able to.

11. Ask lots of questions. The show is filled with wedding professionals, and while you're there you should take advantage of the opportunity to learn as much as you can. These vendors want to impress you with their knowledge of their particular specialty...take advantage of it!!!

12. Be confident in what you need and stick to your budget, but also stay true to your tastes, style, personality, etc...so that there are no regrets later on. This is a day in your life that is like no other, you want it to be perfect, so go with your gut and be prepared to spend some money in order to complete your vision. 

 Ashley Moore-Events By Ashley
Wedding Bouquet Inspiration

One of the most important aspects of a bride's wedding day assessories isn't just the groom on her arm, but the bouquet in her hands. For several years we have been inspired and left in awe by the aray of colors, styles, and unique designs that each bride carries. Here are just a few to get your creative juices flowing!




Broach Bouquet


Fabric Bouquet




Monday, July 9, 2012

Unique and Personalized gift ideas for Your Wedding Party/Give Away!!

Written by: Amber Oehm and Ashley Moore

Every bride at some point in her planning tries to think of a special gift to give the girls special enough to stand up with her on her wedding day. We find that many of our brides are wanting to make them personal, memorable and sentimental but are having a hard time coming up with something that would represent each special friend that can also be worn/used again.

We have teamed with Wichita's very own PINK Saloon to help give brides some fresh alternatives to "wedding party gifts". Hopefully you will find some inspiration and the perfect gift for your special ladies!

At Events By Ashley, we love supporting local businesses in the Wichita community, one of those being PINK Saloon. This local boutique has some of the trendiest clothing, accessories, shoes, and jewelry you can find in the Wichita area. A great thing about this boutique is several of the items they sell benefit another organization in which a portion of the proceeds go towards.
They have recently started selling Namaste bracelets, which are flying out the door left and right. These are spreading like wild fire across the city due to their cute designs, fun colors, and stacking ability. A little arm candy is always good right?! These bracelets are handmade by the women in Nepal, and a portion of the proceeds go back to these women so they can support their families. Such a great cause! You can color coodinate with your own wedding, mix and match or even pick your attendants favorite colors.
 The Alex and Ani Bracelets have also become quite popular because of how unique they are and also because of the personalization ability. They are expandable wire bangles and come in gold and silver. They provide an aray of charms from initials, to crosses, birth signs, and charity sign charms just to name a few. Give each of your girls a bracelet with their initial and maybe pair with a namaste bracelet. They do carry a bridal collection that is unique and quite lovely for the bride as well. Make sure you check out the collection here: http://www.zeeberry.com/alex-and-ani-jewelry/alex-and-ani-bridal.cfm
PINK carries a huge assortment of scarves that come in all kinds of colors and patterns. This is great gift that can and will be used time and time again. Each one can be hand picked for each attendant based on personality, favorite colors, etc....
Hopefully you have been inspired to think outside the box and buy personalized, reusable/wearable gifts for the ladies who will stand up with you on the most important day in your life! PINK Saloon is giving away these 3 namaste bracelets to one lucky lady!
To enter to win:
LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POSTING FOR EACH TASK COMPLETED
Like PINK Saloon on Facebook 
Say "hi" to the ladies at PINK Saloon on their facebook page
Like Events By Ashley on Facebook
Additional entries:
Share this post on your facebook page

Friday, July 6, 2012

"Forever" Friday
The Groom's Perspective.....
In May of 2007 I began working at a bank as I was nearing the end of my life in college graduating with a finance degree. I met and became close with one person in particular named Michelle. After working together for a few months at a very slow branch, I felt like I knew her better than many of the people in my life I had known for years. Michelle was from a small town west of Wichita called Garden Plain and was one year younger than me. On many occasions, we would get together outside of work and often our friends from outside of the bank would meet us as well.  On this particular night, I had gone out with my manager and one of my close friends. We had talked to Michelle on and off and we decided to meet at Emerson Biggins. On this night Michelle had a friend named Amber with her who I’d never met. I immediately took note of this beautiful blond haired girl. As the evening went on, I learned that this girl was a long time friend of Michelle’s from high school who was back in town only for spring break. I left that night intrigued and eager to learn more about this girl from Michelle.

Over the course of the next few days, I blew up Michelle’s inbox inquiring about this Amber girl. Michelle told me a lot of their history and eventually explained to me that Amber had a boyfriend currently and that they had been on and off for many years, beginning in high school. This definitely got my spirits down, but I still kept hope. A few weeks later, I found myself again in a similar situation at Emerson Biggins, this night Amber was out for her mom’s birthday. We again exchanged small talk keeping in mind that this girl was still off limits. I left that night and by this point, I knew something was different about Amber, and I knew she was someone special. Sometime in April we became facebook friends, which made it easier to keep tabs on each other’s lives. We eventually met up at Indigo in Old Town one night. We both had a lot of friends out with us and I remember standing in the exact same spot the entire evening talking to Amber. It truly felt like no one else was in the room and nothing else mattered. I knew that was the start of something great.

As summer rolled around, this blonde beauty began showing up at my bank branch, possibly because it was convenient or possibly because she was developing a “thing” for me as well. To this day, I’m convinced she came by to flirt with me, but she still claims different. From there things began to progress. The relationship Amber had been in began to fall apart and I happened to be around at just the correct time. Amber claims that I blew her off on more than one occasion, but actually it was a combination of nerves and maybe even a little intimidation. I was already feeling things for this girl that I hadn’t felt with anyone in my past and I’d truly only met her twice. From there, we began dating and things only got better and more exciting. I’d met her family who were second to only my own and eventually I fell in love. We began ring shopping and finally in Beaver Creek, Colorado I staged an ice skating spill and asked the woman of my dreams to become my wife and thankfully she agreed.




Just after proposal on the ice skating rink…Amber had been balling for the last 20 min

Day after we got engaged in Colorado
 Engagement Pictures

Wedding Pictures