The Main Event by Memory Makers Event Planning, LLC

October was the month for multi-cultural ceremonies. First, I planned and coordinated a vow renewal ceremony for a lady from Bulgaria. She and her husband, who is from here, married a year ago in Bulgaria at the registrar's office with her parents and sister, brother-in-law, and niece present. This ceremony was for his family and friends. While in Bulgaria, the wife had two gowns made, one for the simple ceremony there and a more elaborate one for the Idaho ceremony. The formal gown was very pretty and a bit different from our typical American gowns. It was two-piece, strapless, and laced up the back. The skirt had three deep gathers of fabric from just below the waistline to mid-thigh. The remainder of the skirt was organza with embroidery. At the end of a Bulgarian ceremony, a mother (in this case the husband's grandmother) breaks a loaf of wedding bread. She then dips small pieces in honey and feeds a piece to the wife and husband to symbolize always having food ...

A couple of weeks ago I participated in a wedding show. One of the new products featured at the show was custom-designed unity candles. A bride and groom can order a candle in colors to match their wedding. They can also customize the candle with a picture, poem, their names, or any other information they choose. The candles can also be used for anniversary celebrations, vow renewal ceremonies, and as memorial candles. The candles are available over the internet at http://www.unitycandles.com/ . If you are looking for something unique for your event, this may be just the item.

Want to add a bit of pizazz to your wedding photos and you don't mind damaging your gown? If so, you might consider taking "trash the dress" photos. This is a new fad created by wedding photographers to create unique, once in a lifetime, photos. When a bride is willing to get her dress wet or dirty, she may be photographed wading in the ocean or a lake, jumping into a pool or lake, sitting on a mountainside or on the beach, riding a motorcycle, rolling in the mud, or in other unconventional situations or positions that can harm her dress. This summer one of my brides was photographed playing in the fountain at the Grove Plaza in downtown Boise while wearing her gown, though she was careful not to get too wet. A photographer told me about shooting a bride who jumped into a swimming pool at a country club in her gown. The groom and several of the groomsmen then joined her. (If they were wearing rented tuxes, they now own them.) Another bride told me about her wedding in ...

On Friday I coordinated my third wedding this season at our outdoor Shakespeare Theater. All three were in different locations within the theater grounds and all were very different. The first, held on Memorial week-end in May, was held in a grassy area behind the amphitheater. The reception was held on the patio under a tent and inside the multi-purpose building. The second wedding occurred on a very hot 7-7-07 on the amphitheater stage in the bright sun. The play Arsenic and Old Lace opened that day, so we had to work around the sets. The reception was held at the Basque Center out of the heat. On Friday the most recent ceremony occurred at one end of the property in a clearing overlooking a pond. It was a small morning ceremony with about 30 guests. After the ceremony we went to a private club for lunch on their patio. In the evening, about 300 guests joined us at the bride's parent's farm for a reception. Three brides, each with different ideas and personalities,...

You are probably familiar with wedding web sites and other special event web sites. The latest trend is creating a blog for your event instead of or in addition to a web site. A blog will allow you to share the planning details for your family reunion, wedding, or other event and also share photos of everything from the location to the gown. By posting regular updates, a blog allows the opportunity to write about the details of the event as they occur. By doing so, friends and family both near and far away can share the journey with you, increasing their excitement and their feeling of involvement. Creating a blog is easy. If you can write a letter, you can update a blog. Creating a blog is also free, unlike the cost of many web sites. Give it a try for your next event. You may decide to make it a permanet part of your family's communication.

If you are planning an outdoor event you will want to visit http://www.bridalweather.com/ . This unique site, created by a professional meteorologist, can predict the weather for your event months into the future. The weather for a number of U.S. cities is available and more are being added all the time. The predictions are based on historical data.   Though the name of the site implies it is directed to weddings, the information can be used for any outdoor event, including family reunions, picnics, festivals, and more. If family and friends will be traveling to your special event, you can find travel weather information as well. Brides and grooms can also add customized weather information to their web sites as a unique touch.

This has been an interesting season, with a number of bookings on short notice. One of the most interesting was a 50th birthday party that occurred last week-end. The lady who was celebrating her birthday is a silent films afficionado and she wanted to have a costume party reflecting that era. The party was held at her home where we created a Prohibition-era speak easy, complete with a gambling den, secret password to enter, and two young men (her grandsons) with Tommy guns to greet guests as they arrived. After checking local resources for a casino party, the most reasonable option was to rent the tables and then hire actors from a local community theater to serve as dealers. One of them failed to show up, but those who did were most entertaining. The hostess said her guests had a great time and it was one of the most unique parties she has held. In the process of planning the party, I learned that theater companies are a great resource for many things, from actors who will h...

Over Labor Day week-end I had a wedding for 450 at Whitetail Golf Course and Club in McCall. The ceremony was held under a big tent on the golf course with the reception at Whitetail Club. The bride and her parents arrived at the ceremony by horse-drawn carriage. The couple left by carriage and traveled to the marina where they boarded a boat for their arrival at Whitetail. It was a most memorable day. This is booking season for next summer's events. If things continue to go as they are now, it should be another great year. Several new locations are entering the market and they are greatly needed. We look forward to more unique events like this one.