Poinsettia season

Years ago I walked into a courthouse which had a five year old poinsettia. It vined across the office, expanding at least 12 feet. I was amazed. It is poinsettia season and with this beautiful commonly red plant, comes the desire to keep one alive for as long as you can. Here are some tips to help you keep your poinsettia alive as long as possible.

1. Poke holes in the foil so it has good drainage.
2. When you pick it up from the store, make sure it is wrapped completely as to keep it from getting cold weather damaged.
3. Poinsettia's like bright indirect sunlight with little to no ventilation so keep it away from drafts and windows.
4. After it is done blooming, you may fertilize it once per month. (Do not fertilize it while it is in bloom).
5. Ideal temperatures are from 60-70 degrees.

*Most poinsettias last only 6-8 weeks, but with luck you can get yours to live as long as the one I saw in that Court House. :)

Orchid Care

WATERING:
In the summer when inside temperatures are 80+, you should water them once per week. The method is as important as the consistency. Place the plant inside enough water to cover the bark and soak for 3-5 minutes. then drain it well.

In the winter, water it every 2-3 weeks. Orchids roots like to dry out 80-90% between waterings.

LIGHTING:
Filtered lighting. Orchids do not like hot-direct sunlight. A little direct light in the cooler mornings are ok.

AIR:
Air movement is important for orchids. You should leave a window open or put a fan in the room to prevent mold in the leaf joints.

TEMPURATURE:
No less than 55-60 degrees, otherwise flowers suffer. They prefer 65-80 during the day and 55-70 at night.

FERTILIZING:
Only fertilize when not in bloom! Fertilize 10-15-10 once per month. Again, fertilize only when not in bloom!

TRANSPLANTING:
Orchids love to be crowded so only re-pot after they split the plastic pot they live in- into 2. Then only move up one pot size. Do not use soil, purchase Orchid Potting Mix! :)

Enjoy Your Orchid!

DIY Pro's and Con's

We have established a budget, we have determined what we consider most important to us, now here are a few ways to save money via DIY and the pro's and con's for each of Photography, Music, and Reception. Our next blog will cover more DIY pro's and con's, covering

Gifts, Stationery, Transportation, Flowers, Rings, Attire, Ceremony

 

PHOTOGRAPHY 12% OR DIY

Some ways that people DIY is gather cameras and have all people at the wedding take photos then compile them, choose, and make copies. Another way to DIY is to choose 2-3 people to take the photos with digital cameras. Or rent professional equipment.

Pro’s	Con’s
*Seeing what each photographer thought was worth documenting	-sorting through 2000+ photos
*A lot of special moments were shot from many different angles – it’s like having a 360-degree view!	-finding a user-friendly site that would allow us to share our albums
*Our wedding paparazzi were all people we know and love.
*No waiting three months for editing – we had all of our photos in our hands within a day or two.
*Film and battery purchases, film developing, and printing I think we spend under $150.

BANDS/DJ  8% OR DIY 

Some DIY ideas include having a family member who is in a band come as a favor, or hire a DJ. You could also ask musically minded family or friends to act as a DJ with an ipod and sound system. You could send out song request ideas via email or IM on Facebook/Social Media to your guest so you can compile the songs in advance. Don't forget your favorites!

Pro’s	Con’s
Take complete control of the music	periodically check on music and sound system
iPod with an endless playlist	requesting songs

RECEPTION  48% OR DIY

Pro’s	Con’s
Intimacy of family and friends favorites	Time consumption
Money saving	Number of people
The Sky is your limit on Cake Design	Professionalism of Cakes
Choosing a Family Favorite Place	May still have to pay a Venue

Should Children be Invited or "Banned" from your wedding?

This is a very controversial issue. I have been seeing post after post of how people should “Ban” children from weddings in order to cut costs. There is no easy answer to this question. As a mother of 4 children, I would say they are a part of the family. However, not every couple is the same. I have many friends who do not have, nor want children. For them, the answer would be definitely NOT.

According to the United States Census Report in 2012

·        * 66 % of households in 2012 were family households, down from 81 percent in 1970.

·         *Between 1970 and 2012, the share of households that were married couples with children under 18 decreased from 40 % to 20 %.

·         *The proportion of one-person households increased by 10 % between 1970 and 2012, going from 17 % to 27 %. 

*     *Between 1970 and 2012, the average number of people per household declined from 3.1 to 2.6.

                                             ~Retrieved October 28, 2014 from: http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p20-570.pdf

Simply stated less people are having children.

Here are some questions to ask to help choose if your wedding should allow children.

1. Do you have children?

2. What are your family morals? Are you more of a drink it up person or a family person?

3. Do any of the top people on your list guest list have children? How do you feel they would respond if their children were not invited?

4. Is there a babysitter option so kids can go to ceremony and reception, but have a sitter for an after hour party? Is this within your budget?

If you have decided to have children, or would like to include children but you are afraid it could get too expensive, try some of these ideas that are sure to please the whole family!

 For a DIY 10 foot long banana split visit this website.

Wedding Problems? Turning Tragedy into Comedy

We all should know "Murphy's Rule of Thumb": "If it could go wrong, it will". But we don't want it to happen on our wedding day. We plan, we delegate, we pay people to make it perfect. But how should we look at it when something does go wrong? Most people don't even consider that we have a choice in perspectives when things go wrong, but that is what this blog is about. Learning to turn our frowns upside down. (Hopefully)     (:   :)

Years ago I heard a quote which has stuck with me ever since. “One man’s tragedy is another person’s comedy”. While this seemed morbid at the time, through the years, I have come to understand my English teacher’s perception. The idea is that when something tragic happens, others may find it funny and hopefully after our grieving period we are able to look back and laugh too. One time I had the brakes on my bike replaced. Later that day I was clipping along (going downhill) and had to stop for a car turning into a parking lot. I only had front brakes and as I applied the brakes (forgetting they just got fixed), the seat of the bike rose above my head and flipped completely over. I was lucky enough not to get hurt, while people around me were rushing to see if I was okay, all I could do was laugh hysterically because as the seat came over my head (in what seemed like slow motion) I was picturing how funny it would look on video. I laugh each time I remember that moment.

I feel that sharing these things can help future brides in 2 ways.

1. To prepare back up plans or to proper responses to the what if’s.

2. Also in understanding the amount of stress we build while planning this very important day, hearing these stories might give us a giggle and help us to realize that some of the littler things that go wrong are the moments we can laugh at in the future. Of course there is always the possibility of something happening that we would never think funny, but let us not make mountains out of molehills.

Starting with stories below, I would love to hear feedback from all you about if something went wrong with your wedding, what, how did you feel, and what advice would you give brides to be.

~Candle Unity wedding where the candle wax ended up on dresses

~Speedo old man flirting in the pictures of a beach wedding         

~Cocktail hour before wedding resulted in drunk bridesmaids

~Dye in hair of groom running down his face during ceremony

~Forgotten and/or dropped rings during ceremony

~DJ never showed up

~Unrehearsed ceremony where father didn’t know what to do when he “gave his daughter away”, so he improvised with a high five to the son in law.

Now it is time to hear your stories. I look forward to reading them and hope all the future brides do to!