Think Local when Shopping for Wedding Flowers

Photos by Keith Cottrill

For the freshest, most beautiful flowers for your wedding day look no further than your local farmer's market.  Buying flowers from your neighborhood market supports local businesses, ensures that you get the absolute freshest product, and it may even save you some money.  I would suggest scouting the markets in your area a few weeks prior to the day of your event to talk with the growers to make sure they can have what you are looking for and in large enough quantities.  Getting to know a grower like, Maika Xiong of Maika's Garden, or Issie Sime of Best Flowers, both in the Pike Place Market, can be very rewarding and have lasting benefits.  For a list of farmer's markets in your area follow the links below.

In the seattle area: www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org or www.pikeplacemarket.org

Congratulations You're Engaged! Now what?

Photo By Christine Buffalow

The moment you've been waiting for has finally arrived: the person of your dreams gets down on one knee, the sparkly ring appears, the infamous question is asked, and before you know it, you're engaged!

So... now what?

If you're like many recently engaged couples I've talked to, you probably aren't quite sure what to do next. After all, planning a wedding can seem like a rather daunting task.

So make it simple! Start by breaking it up into little pieces and deal with one little thing at a time. For your first task, spend some time dreaming and ask yourself and your fiance(e) some basic questions. Here are 4 to get you started:

1. Where do you want your wedding to be?
Which city/state/country do you want your wedding to be in? Do you want the ceremony to be in a church? Do you want any part of the day to be outdoors? Is it important to be near your family and/or your fiance(e)'s family? Where do most of your friends live? Do you want to do a destination wedding in some distant location (perhaps somewhere tropical or European)?

2. What time of year do you want to get married?
Summer and early fall tend to be popular times to get married in most areas, but that doesn't mean you can't get married in another season. In fact, it may end up saving you money if you get married at a less popular time.

3. How many people do you want to invite?
If you're like me and you're bad at estimating numbers, it may help to actually start making a list of people you want to include.

4. Who will be paying for your wedding? Do you have a general idea of what your budget is?
This typically isn't anyone's favorite topic (especially in this economy), but it will help you make decisions on down the road. Keep in mind that you may have more than one person/family paying for your wedding.