Recipie for Love in the Kitchen

cookingDoes your fiance do all the cooking?  Think they might like some help with the meal planning every now and again but you just do not have the skill set to make something edible (other than mac & cheese of course)?  Consider couples cooking classes.  It can be a great idea for doing something together that forges a transition into your new life together.

There are TONS of cooking classes and they are available in every city across the nation (and even internationally).  Just look it up online, check out Yelp, post it on your FB pages that you are looking and I’ll bet you find some of your friends have done the same.

Here are some spots local to Portland, Oregon:
Hip Cooks:  http://portland.hipcooks.com/class/schedule/
Culinary Workshop:  http://midwestix.securemytix.com/events/12985
Parties That Cook:  http://www.partiesthatcook.com/cooking-classes/
In Good Taste:  http://www.ingoodtastestore.com/

Still lost?  Why not at least make their job easier and prep up some meals for them at a place like one of these meal preparation locations:
Dream Dinners:  http://www.dreamdinners.com/main.php?page=locations
Dinners Ready:  http://www.dinnersready.com/ChooseAKitchen.aspx

christina-sig

We’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave us a comment.  Please feel free to share our blog!
FB: http://www.facebook.com/Muse.WeddingandEventPlanning
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MuseEvents
Website:  http://www.weddingsandeventsbymuse.com

Color of the Year

I’m not a big fan of green – although emerald is my birthstone, and I certainly wouldn’t turn down a gem – I can’t wear it.  I’m Italian, and it makes me look like I am deathly ill, unfortunately.  If it’s a true jewel tone, I can sometimes get away with it, but otherwise, I am out of luck.  With Pantone announcing that green is the color of the year, I am sure I am in for some fun challenges this season!

pantone1

That being said, here are a few greens I can totally live with….

 pantone5  pantone2  pantone4 pantone3

christina-sig

We’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave us a comment.  Please feel free to share our blog!
FB: http://www.facebook.com/Muse.WeddingandEventPlanning
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MuseEvents
Website:  http://www.weddingsandeventsbymuse.com

How Do I Create an Inspiration Board?

We get asked all the time how to design an inspiration board for an event.  Here’s a few tips to help get you started:

1.  Decide whether you want to make a physical board or a virtual boardinspiration board2

2.  Start somewhere – It doesn’t even have to be an overall vision to start with.  You can start with just a color, or a mood, or a single photo you like.

3.  Add to it as things inspire you – They can be pictures of events, or just pictures that speak to you somehow.  They can be of physical items you want at your event or overall pictures of things that “feel right” to you.  Don’t worry at this point about whether there is a complete vision or if it all fits together.

4.  As your vision becomes more defined, clean up your inspiration board – add to it pieces that are missing to convey your overall vision, and take away items that no longer express your consolidated event.

5.  Share it.  Even before you finish it – show it to those planning the event with you and you’ll find it inspires, guides and morphs as you go!

6.  Stop adding to it at least 2-3 months away from the event.  Realistically, you should start the planning process with this, and then let it go.  The event will take on a life of it’s own from there and you don’t need to update the inspiration board.  Do take head though to the advice not to keep adding design elements all the way up until your event.  You’ll go crazy!

christina-sig

We’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave us a comment.  Please feel free to share our blog!
FB: http://www.facebook.com/Muse.WeddingandEventPlanning
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MuseEvents
Website:  http://www.weddingsandeventsbymuse.com

Recipe for A Blissful Wedding Day

We believe that Bridezillas are made, not born, and all that stuff you see on TV is staged.  So, how to have a nice, relaxed bride on the day of her wedding?  Follow our recipe for a blissful wedding day:

recipe_cards_1Ingredients:
1 night Good Sleep
1 Excited Fiance
1 Awesome Best Man
5 Supportive Bridesmaids (or 2 or 7.. add to taste)
1 Relaxed Mother of The Bride
1 Glass Champagne (substitute favorite coffee drink or beverage as desired)
1 Pair Broken in Shoes (and a pair of comfy shoes to change into!)
A handful Of Amazing Vendors
1 Professional Wedding Coordinator

Directions:
1. Those amazing shoes you’ll be photographed in, you’ll want to break them in at least 1-2 weeks prior to your big day.

2.  Let your fiance’s excitement rub off on you – marinate in it!  It’s infectious, so go along for the ride.  Don’t worry about all the details, that wedding coordinator you hired will take care of it!

3.  Enjoy yourself the night before your wedding, but make sure you get a restful night of sleep – it’s a long day in front of you and you’ll want to be ready for it.

4.  Let your mom know how she can best help you on the day of – you’ve grown up and she might not know what drives you crazy, so in whatever way you communicate best with her, let her know what you need on the day of.  She wants the best for you!

5.  Those bridesmaids you asked to stand with you, they are not just there for pretty photos – they have a job!  Not sure what it is?  They might not know either: Duties of the Wedding Party & Duties of the Maid of Honor.  The more you let them support you, the better your day will be.  It’s your day to let go and be pampered, but remember to be the thankful friend you always are!

6.  The bestman’s job is to take care of your fiance and the guests, so that you can sit back and primp and prep yourself.  Let him be in charge of those pieces.

7.  Go ahead and indulge in your favorite  drink that morning.  Not 5 of them, but one will help you enjoy that hair and makeup process and having all your ladies around you.  So, if you love a skinny latte, make sure you have someone pick one up for you that morning!

8.  You’ve chosen your vendors and you love them – now is the time to sit back and trust that they know your vision and are fabulous at their jobs.  That fabulous wedding coordinator will pick up the slack and preserve your vision and handle the timeline from there!

9.  Let it all go.  What actually matters?  That you are marrying  your fiance.  Just enjoy.  Go ahead and smile.  It’s your wedding day!

christina-sig

We’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave us a comment.  Please feel free to share our blog!
FB: http://www.facebook.com/Muse.WeddingandEventPlanning
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MuseEvents
Website:  http://www.weddingsandeventsbymuse.com

We welcome you to come check us out at Muse
weddingsandeventsbymuse.com

www.weddingsandeventsbymuse.com