{Guest Posting} 5 Quick Wedding Planning Tips

I have two exciting things to share with you!

Today, you can find me on the Amy Nichols Special Events blog as I share my 5 Quick Wedding Planning Tips & talk a bit about our wedding.  Let me tell you, as a wedding planner, it was hard to narrow my wedding planning advice down to five tidbits.  I did my best!  A big thank you to Amy for inviting me to share my wedding planning thoughts with her readers.  Check them out HERE!!!

And, truth be told, you can find me on the Amy Nichols Special Events blog three times a week as I am the new writer!  I've been working behind-the-scenes for about one month now & today's post is my official introduction :-)  I met Amy forever ago when we worked together as wedding planning assistants in Manhattan.  Since then, I have grown to admire Amy & her special events business more & more.  It's a huge honor to be working with her again!!  I love posting her latest events, features, finds & more on her fantastic blog.  Be sure to visit Amy's blog for inspiration & advice!  

Photography by Timothy Glenn Photographers

{wedding rings} panicked

Don't get me wrong: this is a very cool ring shot.  The silver rings, green lily pads, the orange fish & the white fish make for a very striking photo.  But it's hard for me to enjoy it much.  

As a wedding planner, I panic at the mere sight of this photo.  It is part of my job to foresee disasters & stop them before they happen or handle disasters & make it appear like they never happened.  And this, well, this spells disaster for me.  How easy, how very, very easy it would be for those rings to slip off the lily pad & disappear into the depths of the pond.  Poof, gone!  

I would be the one to jump in, swim with the fishies & find those rings on the bottom of the pond!!!

Of course, nothing like that happened.  Carry on & admire the daring photo.  

Photo Adagion Studio via

{fur babies + weddings} brideskitteh

I regularly pore over wedding magazines & blogs in the name of job research.  It's as good of an excuse as any!  I'm consistently amazed at the beauty & creativity I see in weddings, much of which I share here with you.  But I'm not often surprised.  Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking I have seen or done it all in my twelve years of wedding planning.  

Like pets taking part in the wedding.  I've done two weddings with dogs, both were walked down the aisle on a wedding color-coordinated leash (see the adorable Frenchie Bruce HERE).  I've done one wedding with a cat, she was flown cross-country to participate in the ceremony & carried down the aisle in her decorated carrier.  So when I spied this handsome black cat sporting a bow tie & posing with his Bride & Groom, I figured it was another cute fur baby in an animal-lovers' wedding:    

And he is.  BUT there is a twist!  The Bride considered him a part of her entourage & pegged him the "Brideskitteh."  Now that is a first!  Brideskitteh, I just love it. 

And this Brideskitteh's name?  Meatwad.  Enough said.  

I refuse to ever think I've seen & done it all in this wedding world ever again.

Photos by Zachary Hunt Photography via

shiny & new

 
Welcome to the fresh face of Koru Wedding Style!

It's okay, I'll wait.  Take a moment to look around & admire the new look.  Isn't she pretty?!

Why the new look?  Well, here's a little background . . . 

Koru Wedding Style is a natural extension of my wedding planning business, Koru Wedding Shoppe.  Both share the tag line "inspiration & celebration of new beginnings."  At Koru Wedding Shoppe, I inspire Brides & Grooms to create the wedding of their dreams & I take care of the timing, details & work so they can celebrate & enjoy every moment of their wedding.  At Koru Wedding Style, I share wedding inspiration & I celebrate anything & everything weddings.  My dear Korus go hand-in-hand.    

As such, I have long wanted my blog & web site to complement one another.  Not matchy matchy but coordinating.  It's not as easy as it sounds.  I had a difficult time finding an affordable, clean & modern design to coexist with my web site.  I suppose good things do come to those who wait because I finally found what I was looking for all along.  Quite simply, it's what you see here before your very eyes.

I hope you enjoy the shiny & new look of Koru Wedding Style as much as I do.  This is yet another new beginning! 

Big thanks to Brooke of Bright Wishes Designs for making this redesign happen so quickly & so beautifully!

Photo by Timothy Glenn Photographers

simple blooms

I'll be honest: I didn't have a large flower/decor budget when I was planning our wedding.  My then-fiance & I chose to prioritize & spend the most on our venue/food, photography & music.  As such, the pennies were pretty tight in other areas.  I went really simple with the flowers.*

So it's truly warmed my heart to see more & more reception centerpieces that don't break the bank, yet look quite lovely.  I know it's frustrating when your limited budget doesn't fit your big dreams.  Oh, my dears, there is hope.  Let's admire some affordable, beautiful centerpieces & fuel that hope!

A grouping of cheerful yellow flowers in different vases make for sweet centerpieces:

 Mix lots of greenery with a pop of bright color in a mason jar for a nature-inspired feel:

The small detail of green glass elevates this simple, single bloom & few branches centerpiece:

A fresh-picked centerpiece is just darling in a cute container:

Cherry on top: most of these centerpieces could easily be DIY projects!  As always, I beg you to recruit buddies or hire a day-of wedding planner to transport & set-up the centerpieces should you go the DIY route.  You want to spend your wedding day enjoying every moment with your loved ones, not playing with flowers. 

Are/Were flowers & decor a priority for your wedding?  Do you have any inspiring, budget-friendly decorating tips to share?  

(* I feel like a broken record but I promise more photos of our wedding are coming soon!  There are a few HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE & HERE TOO if you feel like scouring the entire blog.  I mean, I'm sure you have the free time.)

Photo 1 A & A Photography via Photo 2 via Photo 3 Kelli Hunt Photography via Photo 4 The Wedding Artists Collective via

Here Comes A Break!

Hi!  Hello?  Are you still there?!  

Oh, how I miss your beautiful faces.  Life is getting pretty, pretty busy.  On Wednesday, my Mom arrived from California for a visit & we're having lots of fun.  On top of that, my first 2012 wedding is coming up on February 4 & I've been working hard to make sure it's absolutely perfect.  Next week looks like more of the same.  Plenty of daughter & wedding planning duties, both of which I adore.  I promise I will be back soon with tons of wedding & crafting fun.  Until then, take care!

Try not to miss me too much :-)

Photo by Brooke Boling Photography via

Believe

This amazing wedding photograph is oh so romantic, it makes me believe in love!

There's a little lesson here, Brides-to-be.  Whatever your budget, make sure you invest in the very best photography you can afford!  I promise you it is money well spent.  Trust me.

What vendors are/were most important to you on your wedding day?

Photo by Thayer Hearts Weddings via

Holiday Date Night, Take Two

My hubs & I made a very important decision: 2011 could not be the year of No Lights at Rock Center.  We wouldn't let this happen.  Holiday Date Night, Take Two became a reality with one critical change in our game plan: the tree first, dinner second.  You can't accuse us of not learning from our mistakes!

Last Friday night, like the holiday troopers we are, we made our way to crowded Rockefeller Center & breathed a sigh of relief when we were greeted by this familiar, beautiful sight:

LIGHTS!!!!!!!!!  Camera!  Action!

We paused for a bit to admire the graceful ice skaters:

We can't leave well enough alone so we posed for one more holiday photo with the LIT tree:

Seconds after this photo was snapped, we witnessed a man propose to his surprised girlfriend.  (I stopped myself from handing them my business card, ha!)  I felt like we were on a movie set for a moment.  Pure holiday magic!

Our Holiday Date Night, Take Two got even better, continuing with a delicious dinner in the West Village.  But dinner wasn't the best part.  As we strolled through the charming, decorated streets, we were delighted to stumble upon Christmas carolers singing holiday tunes.  I've never seen & heard Christmas carolers in real life.  Let me tell you, it was quite cool.  More holiday magic!!


Now our Newlywed Holiday Date Night will be remembered as The Year of No Lights at Rock Center, followed by Lights & Pure Holiday Magic.  ♡  XOXO   ♥ 

Wedding Day is Here Again

Oh So Pretty: Rose & Baby Breath Garland

Image by Leo Patrone Photography

via Style Me Pretty

Brides estimates that 46, 200 happy couples will say "I Do" tomorrow, on the lovely 11.11.11.


Check- this wedding planner has a wedding tomorrow at the grand The Ashford Estate.  I'm particularly excited because I will be working with my former co-worker & my own wedding planner, Eileen of An Affair to Remember.  She needs an extra hand & I'm always happy to help her.  I love weddings (have you noticed?!) & I love working with Eileen so this is a real treat for me.


Although I'd hoped to keep up with my blogging this week, I'm a tad crazed & something's got to give.  A Wedding Day is here again & I must give that top priority!


May the rest of your week be bright & beautiful!  We'll meet again next week~


  

Chart House Wedding {Real Wedding Sneak Peek}

Don't get too excited, Koru family & friends.  Maybe just a smidgen excited.  Why?  I have some sneak peek photos to share with you from last Saturday's wedding!!!!  Please understand these photos were taken by me during a whirlwind work day on my camera phone.  I couldn't capture everything (ahem, like the beautiful Bride & Groom!), nor could I capture anything well.  But I did my best to give you a little glimpse of a happy, gorgeous occasion.

The Bride & Groom live in Hoboken (just like me) where they are treated to stunning views of the New York City skyline just across the Hudson River from them.  It was important to them to share those city views with their guests & the Chart House in nearby Weehawken gave them that luxury.  Bonus points if you remember I considered Chart House for my wedding!  Chart House sits at the end of a pier & it's so close to NYC you feel like you could touch the buildings.  As shown here, Chart House is at the end of the pier on the left & the city is just beyond it:

The Bride loves, LOVES the romantic vibe of candlelight & candles were a major force throughout the wedding during the ceremony & reception.  I didn't get a good photo of the guest table centerpieces but each table got a healthy dose of red rose petals, crystals & candles wrapped in various black & white pattern ribbon.  Here is the version I modified for the head table:

This is a close-up of a candle & rose petals on the head table, yet look beyond the table to that glittering NYC view from the ballroom!  Incredible, right?  The Empire State Building is front & center, lit up in orange, white & blue for the NYC Marathon the next day:

Oh, & the gorgeous, delicious cake from Hoboken's famous Carlo's Bakery (aka Cake Boss)! Again, bonus points if you remember Carlo's Bakery also made my wedding cake!  This couple's round, white cake is decorated with a big, black bow, black swirl detailing & black piping.  Red velvet cake- YUM!  I re-purposed flower garlands used during the ceremony to decorate the cake table.  We positioned this darling cake so it was in front of the windows facing downtown.  Maybe only I notice it but the white glow near the top of the cake is the Freedom Tower:

After a fun, rocking reception, the Bride & Groom had a Sparkler Grand Departure!  If you follow me on Twitter you know this was almost nixed due to a fire hazard.  But when there is a will, there's usually a way & we found one.  After a candlelit Last Dance, my assistant & I lined up the guests, handed out sparklers & lit them up, then prompted the Bride & Groom to run through to their getaway car.  This is the second Sparkler Grand Departure I've organized & it's just so awesome!  My photo was taken after the Bride & Groom had left but the guests still had plenty of sparkle:

I hope you enjoyed this humble little sneak peek!  More to come as soon as I can share professional photos from the great Daniel Hedden Photography.  Um, cause if you noticed, I am not a professional wedding photographer.  Just leave me to the wedding planning!

The Glam Life

Me on the Job
{Personal Photo}

Ah, the glamorous life of a wedding planner.  

If you don't think that a wedding planner's job description includes being stuffed into the front seat of their assistant's car with a beautiful, large, heavy flower arrangement, you're wrong.  Very, very wrong.  This precious little moment came after a 10+ hour workday including everything from dressing the Bride to greeting vendors to assembling centerpieces to coordinating a sparkler departure.  Once the glowing newlyweds ran through the sparklers & departed in their getaway car, it was my responsibility to pack up their items from the venue & deliver them to their hotel.  

There was lots of wedding loot to get from the second floor Bridal Suite to my assistant's car outside.  One container of the top of the wedding cake.  Two trays of leftover Indian food.  Four large boxes of miscellaneous items like the Bride's bouquet, the guest book & the candles.  One long box of extra sparklers.  Last, but certainly not least, two humungous red rose floral arrangements that were used to decorate the ceremony & reception.

My assistant & I packed her car to the absolute brim until the only things left on the sidewalk were me, my assistant & a floral arrangement.  The answer was clear.  I picked that baby up & I hauled it into the front seat with me.  The flower arrangement didn't quite clear the door so my assistant stuffed in the roses & greenery as best she could & slammed the door.  We drove away with a few fronds sticking out the door.  Classic!

& you know what?  I love my job, each & every last moment!

Gone Wedding

RED, the color of Saturday's Wedding

Image by Jonathan Ivy Photography

via The Knotty Bride

Koru Family & Friends, here's the deal: the blog will be silent for the remainder this week.  Why?  Because I'm thoroughly & happily entrenched in wedding planning this week.  Saturday is the BIG day!!! 

I met this sweet Bride back in December when I was in the final stages of planning my wedding.  She had bright, beautiful ideas for her Fall wedding day.  It's been a true honor & absolute privilege to see those ideas grow & blossom.  I can hardly wait to help bring those very ideas to life on Saturday to celebrate this happy couple's positive new beginning!

Before Saturday, there are schedules to be finalized, details to solidify, vendors to confirm & much, much more.  So consider me Gone Wedding. 

As for you & me, we'll meet again next week~

It's A Wrap! 25th Edition

This photo has nothing to do with this post.

It makes me smile though & isn't that enough?

Image by Our Labor of Love

via 100 Layer Cake

Hi.  Please raise your hand if you're happy it's Friday.  Yes, me too.  This week has been a bit, well, trying.  I am beyond lucky & blessed in life & I never lose sight of that.  Still.  Sometimes things are not so smooth or happy.  The grey, rainy weather hasn't helped any, although it has perfectly matched my mood.

& my mood has affected the weekly Koru List.  I like to bring you plentiful wedding eye candy from the likes of Style Me Pretty, while sprinkling in musings on weddings & marriage from the likes of A Practical Wedding.  They are my top favorite wedding blogs as different as they may be.  While the eye candy this week was as gorgeous as always, my stormy, brooding mood was drawn to two posts this week that made me think.  A lot.  About what wedding blogs I like & support, about the value in my sweet wedding planning business.

So I present you those links:  

Dear Wedding Bloggers, You Suck     

Price Is Not The Same As Value  

Well worth the read, ladies.   

Where The Heart Is

Wedding Guest Group Photo: Yay or Nay?
Image by W. Scott Chester

via Ruffled

That gem of a wedding photo up there?  I love it.

My wedding planning self isn't the biggest fan of Wedding Guest group photos.  Those go down a little something like this.  Due to a lack of big, open fields in the NJ-NY area, the most common spot to take such photos is on the church steps after the ceremony.  Sweet notes are included in the program to kindly ask guests to stay behind & take a "quick" group photo.  About half the guests are happy to stay behind but they make a beeline to congratulate the Bride & Groom & lose focus on the photo.  The other half of the guests are quite intent on getting to Cocktail Hour to have a drink & don't appreciate our security guard-like moves to keep them in place.  Once everyone is indeed in the right spot, you have to attract their attention, pose them & make them smile.  Wedding Guest group photos are hardly ever quick or fun.

I mean, family & bridal party photos are enough.  

As such, we didn't entertain the mere thought of a Wedding Guest group photo at our wedding.

But wow, I adore the sweet sentiment of a Wedding Guest group photo.  Even if your group is too large for each & every face to be distinct in the photo, it's quite something to see one photo that includes each & every person who celebrated your marriage.  You wouldn't remember how long it took to find Aunt Nancy who had wandered away or how Cousin Andy grumbled about missing the raw bar.  You'd simply see the faces of those you love on your wedding day.

The heart-shaped happy couple & wedding guests photo is pure group photo perfection.  Beautiful setting, happy couple, smiling guests AND a heart.  Love, love, LOVE!

Will (or did) you take a Wedding Guest group photo at your wedding?

Wedding Wheels

Here is a little-known fact about me: I love cars.

Yes, it's true.  My little fascination with cars started when I was younger.  I favored my Matchbox cars over my Barbies.  I treasured my car & truck quilt my Grandma made me because it was much more fitting than the flowery stuff available for little girls.  I adored our family friends' Mercedes.  I dreamed of owning a classic Mustang (still do!).

You may think my love of cars got lost in my wedding planning world of tulle, lace & flowers.  Oh no.  As I pore through wedding magazines & wedding blogs, I always look for fun, creative modes of wedding transportation.  It doesn't have to be a car to catch my eye either.  Now that I can pin & save those images of wedding wheels, I'm in heaven.  My Wheels board on Pinterest is my favorite.

Allow me to share some favorite Wedding Wheels with you.  Nope, wheels aren't limited to cars!

An unexpected cherry-red tractor for a Farm Wedding:

Image via Snippet & Ink

An adorably-styled classic for a Classic Wedding:

Image via Martha Stewart Weddings

A cute bicycle of love for a Country Wedding:

Image via Ruffled

A vintage blue truck for a Southern Wedding:

Image via Southern Weddings

For my absolute favorite Wedding Wheels, just take a look at the Koru Wedding Style header!  I really love cars so Wedding Wheels will become a regular monthly feature- I can't help myself :-)

Do (or did) you have any fun plans for Wedding transportation?

Facelift Blog-Style

My Winter Wedding

Image by Timothy Glenn Photographers

Welcome to the updated, beautiful space of Koru Wedding Style!

After 340 posts in the span of almost two years, it was time to make changes.  Mostly minor tweaks here & there.  I chose a pretty script font for the blog & post titles to add a softer touch.  I switched up the font color scheme to gray & shades of purple for more contrast.  I added a sweet, sparkly background to the sidebar as a fun touch.  And the biggest (& my favorite!) change . . .

A new photo for the header!  I chose one of my favorite wedding photos to represent Koru Wedding Style.  This blog is a lot weddings, a little me.  This photo represents both nicely.  It's just perfect.

In this photo, it's dusk on our winter wedding day.  RZ & I are fresh newlyweds, officially married for about one hour.  The vintage taxi whisks us away from our church ceremony & parks on a charming cobblestone street outside the Hoboken Terminal for our photo session.  RZ & I spill out of the taxi to wait for the rest of our bridal party to catch up with us.  Tim starts snapping photos.  & this is one of them showing me & my husband in our beloved hometown on our beautiful wedding day.

& I love every last detail- the dusky sky, the city lights, the cobblestone street, the pile of snow, the vintage taxi & the happy couple.  Just as everything in this photo means something to me, everything I post here is meaningful to me.  Everything.

I hope you enjoy the facelift of this sweet space.  Let's continue have lots of wedding fun & inspire each other :-)

Koru Family & Friends, What do you think of the new design?  Like?  Love?

Koru Kate Finds: Words of Wisdom

Wedding Planning Wisdom

Image on Pinterest via HERE

Read the Wedding Words of Wisdom above.  

Repeat.  

Let the words soak in. 

Share with every almost-Engaged, Bride-to-be & Newlywed woman you know.

I plan to share the Wedding Words of Wisdom with every Bride that crosses my path, whether it's a beloved friend or dear client.  These words touch upon the things that may drive you crazy during the wedding planning process- the guest list, the menu & the music.  Then these words bring it back to what the wedding is all about- love.  Everyone needs this reminder at one point or another! 

"Spend the rest of your days with the person you love."  The exact reason for a wedding, the basis for a marriage.  Ah, & such a beautiful gift & tremendous privilege. 

Koru Kate Finds: 4th Edition

A Wedding Path
Image from Martha Stewart Weddings

Today's Koru Kate Finds is another oldie but goodie.

I have been pinning my little heart out & I came across this classic image from the great Martha Stewart. The image brought me back, way back . . .

Once upon a time, I was a lost girl. Little passion, no direction. I happened to stumble into an internship with a wedding planner. Oh, I loved it so very much. The Brides, the wedding gowns, the flowers, the food. I began to eat & breathe weddings. As such, Martha Stewart Weddings was my Bible.

I remember spotting this simply incredible image in the gorgeous pages of MSW & it captured my heart. Years later, it caught my heart when I found it among the pretty in The Best of Martha Stewart Living Weddings. Then just days ago, it reclaimed my heart in the lovely world of Pinterest. There is something about this beautiful rose petal path lined with large hurricane candles that speaks to me over & over again. So powerful, so timeless. Among other things, I find this wedding path reminds me of how & why I came to love weddings.

Wouldn't you just love to walk down a rose petal path? Who knows what beauty is on the other end!

Centerpiece, You are Beautiful

Besides planning & coordinating a wedding, there is little I enjoy more than attending a wedding as a guest. Oh, the pure & simple joy of eating, drinking & being merry to celebrate a happy couple's positive new beginning!

Now the wedding planner in me is always there. This part of me likes exploring new venues, enjoying good food & admiring pretty decor.

Historic & Beautiful Edison Ballroom

I had the golden opportunity to be a guest at an Edison Ballroom wedding last Summer (why has it taken me so long to blog about it?!). This stunning, art deco ballroom has served as a grand ballroom for Hotel Edison & as a theater for Broadway. It's sleek & swanky, yet you can feel its history. Clearly a win-win if you ask me!

Centerpieces, you have my Heart

Now I crushed hard on the amazing centerpieces. Everyone around me was snapping photos of the Bride & Groom or their dressed up friends & my camera was aimed at the centerpieces. RZ may or may not have been embarrassed. The crystal candelabras held dark purple, almost black, candles & dripped with additional crystals. Then four dark purple, cut crystal wine glasses filled with various purple orchids surrounded the candelabras. GORGEOUS!

Yup, I'm still drooling

I haven't looked at these photos in awhile & my love affair with the centerpieces is renewed! Have you fallen for fabulous details at your friends' & families' weddings? It's not just me, is it?!

Good Tired

Too Tired To Yawn
Print available on Etsy in ElleJW's shop

How does a wedding planner feel after a wedding? One word: tired!

But it's a special tired.

True, I feel tired to the bone, to my very core. After 12+ hours of quick thinking on my feet, it's a wonder I can function. Sometimes I can barely remember which end is up because I've spent so much time & energy keep every last wedding detail straight.

Yet it's a triumphant tired. I may not have finished a marathon but I've coordinated another successful wedding. I've had a hand in making a special day even more special & wonderful for a beautiful Bride & Groom. There is true beauty & joy in that for me. I've accomplished my goal & exhausted myself in the process.

& this is exactly how I'm feeling right now after Sunday's beach wedding. I'm good tired, a feeling I wouldn't change for anything in the world.