Will you marry me?

Proposals!

Who doesn't love a great proposal story?

Boy meets girl. Courtship. Love. Congratulations!

I love how in the movies, men usually state the girls entire name -

first and middle while on bended knee. "Mary Margaret, will you..."

And, for some reason I think that about 85% of the time, the girl answers with "of course!"

I wonder if there's a way to find out what the most common phrase uttered after a proposal is?

"Seriously?" or "Oh, my God!", and 'of course' there is the big one, the one the guy wants to hear..."YES!"

(Btw, if you find this percentage, holler at me will ya? Thx)

So, you said YES, now what?

You tell the masses about your proposal, that's what! Share your exciting and happy news with friends, family, co-workers, neighbours, and with whomever you want - flash that rock and your ear to ear smile all over the place! You deserve it, you're getting MARRIED!!

Most couples get engaged and right away they are changing their facebook status from In a Relationship to Engaged. They are tweeting about the proposal, and even possibly sending an announcement to the local paper. What did you do? Did you create a wedding website, or did you happen to have your proposal taped and then uploaded onto Youtube? How did you spread the news?

Once the news is spread, and the congrats and well wishes are graciously recieved, it's time to get into the nitty gritty of planning your wedding. But, we do stress (before you start to stress) that you take time to enjoy being engaged before you dive deep into the planning process. :)

So, what do we suggest are some of the first things you do after the engagement, but before the planning?

Brainstorm with your fiance the type of wedding you both want.

Will there be a theme? How do you want to express your own seperate personalities as well as your togetherness? For some couples it's through colours, unique details or the style of attire and venue.

To help you brainstorm, we suggest that you pick up a few magazines. Our favourites are Martha Stewart Weddings, Today's Bride, Weddingbells and Toronto Life's 2010 Wedding edition. Clip out pictures and create inspiration boards. This part of the planning is so much fun!

Next, hire a Wedding Planner. Whether you're a DYI Bride, and you want to plan every detail of your wedding on your own, or you're a full-time professional with little time or desire (gasp) to plan your own wedding, a planner can help you get the wedding you've always dreamt of. Planning a wedding takes lots of time, patience, money and compromise. Yes, even though it's all about the Bride, remember that there are mothers & mother-in-laws that will have input about your wedding ideas. A Planner can be your right hand woman, your rock, your therapist, and your saving grace when the going gets tough.

Then of course, you have to set a budget. Sometimes the creation of a budget involves you, your fiance, both sets of parents, and your Wedding Planner. The budget will depend on who is paying for the wedding. Be prepared to use your compromising skills. :) Your planner can also aid you with making proper decisions in regards to sticking to and within your budget.

Lastly, do your research! If you only want to hire a Wedding Planner for DOC services, thus eliminating your chances of getting industry discounts, extra value and referrals of trusted professionals usually only offered through Full Wedding Planning services, make sure you do much research before you book any vendors. Ask questions, get a second opinion and try to meet or consider 3 vendors at a time. Basically, pretend you're Simon Cowell of American Idol - only much nicer, and way prettier, and choose the vendors you want to see go to Hollywood (a.k.a your wedding) with you!

We're so glad you said YES! and are on your way to planning your

Happily Ever After.

*even Wedding Planners sometimes need inspiration. Today's post was inspired by a blog post at www.weddingaces.com

Happy New Year!!

Welcome 2010!

It's a new year. A fresh start? Or continued excitement? What's the beginning of your year looking like? Are you planning a wedding? Attending a wedding? What about resolutions? Got any?

As a bride, you probably have a few - check out the article on The Knot entitled "10 Resolutions for every Bride". for a few recommended resolutions.You may want to add some of them to your list of 'goals', or you may just find it a funny read. Here's hoping that whatever tasks you choose to add to your resolution list, you accomplish them, cause everyone loves the sweet smell of success.

Speaking of success, The Bride's Butler has a few goals for 2010.

1. Blogging! We want to keep our readers/followers/fans and clients up to date on what's happening within our company and the wedding & event industry. We aim to post every 5 days or so.
2. To have over 200 Facebook Fans by peak wedding season, June 2010. If you're a fan, thanks for the love...if you're not a fan yet, why not?

3. Keep offering clients the best service we can at the most affordable  rates! We are continuously working with other wedding/event vendors to give you exclusive rates and extras not offered without a referral. Saving you money  is just as important to us as it is to you.

4. And of course, this year, we want to continue to get noticed!! We want The Bride's Butler to be 1 of the top 3, or better yet, the only Wedding & Event Planning company you think of when dreaming, thinking and planning your wedding in the Hamilton and surrounding areas.

Look for our ad in the Wedding Guide 2010 by Toronto Life Magazine, and our listing in Today's Bride featuring WPIC certified planners.

We hope that you reach your goals and that we reach ours as well. In fact, if we can work together to reach our goals, that's even better!

In order to reach your goals, you'll have to have a plan with set tasks and due dates. You should do research - and lot's of it.

For all you brides who got engaged over the holidays and are just starting your wedding planning - we recommend that you take your time at the Bridal Shows, ask lots of questions and try not to forget that a wedding isn't about money, or flowers, or colour schemes - it's about the love you have for another and how you will share one of the most important days of your lives together expressing your commitment to each other among the presence of friends and family.

Here's to a fantastic year ahead!