Spring Time

Spring Time!

It’s Springtime. The winter is finally over and we are ready for the warm weather to start! With every flower that blooms and every bird that sings our spirits lift. Spring is traditionally a time for renewal, and new beginnings. In the Bridal business it is the gateway to the busiest time of the year and for Seniors in high school it is time to get ready for graduation. Both are the beginning of new chapters in life. Both should be celebrated.

There are similarities in the planning process for a Wedding Reception and for a Prom. Formal gowns, picking colours, linens, centerpieces and menu. You thought I was going to add “the place” to my list as well, didn’t you! Not so. The similarities end here.
Planning a Prom is done by committee. You enlist volunteers. Each person will have input and a vote in what is planned, in the end everyone has to agree. One of the very first things that is discussed and agreed upon is Budget. Fundraising is at the core of this decision, how much has already been raised and how much can be raised will help you to decide the location of your Prom and what type of Prom you will be having. You will again notice that “Budget” was not on the list of similarities. LOL! There is a reason for this. With a Prom your budget is set. There is no way around it unless you come up with a new and brilliant fundraiser right before the money is due. Your location is chosen first and the rest of the planning follows. You make your Prom fit the location. Think about the 12 years of school that you have had. Those graduating this year will be encompassing  1999 thru 2011. The ideas that come to mind representing any of those years or even a little of each is awesome! For example, as a 6 year old you would not have been able to “party like it’s 1999!!” You can now! Ask your parents how they celebrated, what were the trends, popular songs, colours etc. Find photos or video from people who graduated in 1999 and put a 2011 spin on your own graduation. If you would like to include all of the years, divide up your tables and create themes from each one on groups of tables depending on the size of your graduating class. Include photos of each student from their Kindergarten Graduation wearing cap and gown. See how much everyone has changed and grown. So many ideas, use your imagination and do your research. Ask teachers and parents to help find a theme and expand on it in a way that will make it totally unique to your Prom and something that next years committee will struggle to out do!!!

Planning a Wedding does not work exactly the same way. There is no committee. This is about 2 people celebrating their commitment to each other with the people they love. Sorry mom’s. The beginning plans should always start with the couple and only the couple.
They are the ones who have just made the decision to get married. I understand that it is very exciting for everyone in the first few weeks. He asked, she said yes! YAY! Everyone has ideas and input. That’s great. Really. However. While this is a busy time and there are tons of decisions to be made, in the very beginning it should be the two people directly involved to get the ball rolling. It helps so much when there is a base or a center of core ideas to start. Once the question has been asked and answered, people have been told and the initial excitement has died down, it is time to begin. Ideas and concept come first.

Plan a “date” as in set aside an evening just for the two of you. Cook a nice dinner, open a bottle of wine and turn off your phones for a  little while. Cuddle up on the couch and spend the evening talking. Who are you are as a couple, tell each other what you thought the first time you met. Go through photos and talk about what was happening with each one. Talk about where you would like to live. House or condo? What type of things would you like to put in it when it is ‘your’ home. This is a great way to find ideas for blending your styles together and figuring out how they will work. Ask questions. You will be surprised how many things you did not know about each other. What is his favorite colour? What is yours? Do you like modern while he likes contemporary? Is your favorite food sit down three course meals and his is paper plates with finger foods? What do you like to do together as a couple? Sports? Dancing? Movies? Sunshine or Snow? What are your hobbies? These are all things that you should already know but if you write them down and look through them, they will become the base for planning a wedding that will be unique for just the two of you. All the information you need to plan will be on that piece of paper. Your colours, your combined styles and your inspiration will all be there. With this piece of paper you can begin to look for the perfect venue to work with your ideas and fit your budget. Now you are ready to ask for help make it all happen. Yes, Mom, this is where you can start to help make the couples ideas come to life. Try not to pick a place BEFORE you have all your ideas and have set a realistic budget. There will be no fundraising events to raise money for your wedding!
Your Venue should fit into your ideas and not the other way around. This is NOT your Prom!
Whether planning your Wedding or helping to plan your Prom don’t forget to enjoy the process. If you find it overwhelming, find help. Never try and do it all yourself. There is a special bond created when planning either one of these events have fun with it and the memories will last much longer than the event itself!

For more information please contact

Raquel Elekes
A Timeless Memory
956.489.9903

www.atimelessmemory.info