Tiffany and Stephen's Wedding..filled with love, elegance, and Cowboys!

March 1, 2008 was a wonderful day for Pampered Bride Weddings. After a year of planning meetings and many phone calls, Tiffany and Stephen were married in a lovely ceremony at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, NY. Our couple have been planning for well over a year...well, Tiffany was for sure, while Stephen was busy playing defense for the Dallas Cowboys. We had been so excited to be a part of this day...their love for one another was infectious, and their families and bridal party were absolutely wonderful! We just knew the day would be very special...as Jenny said, we had a "warm fuzzy" feeling!

After the ceremony, we all headed to Leonard's in Great Neck, NY for the reception. With over 300 guests attending from all over the country, you can imagine the many, many details to tend to.. and we'd like to thank the staff at Leonards for being so accomodating, especially Drew. Tiffany and Stephen were floored when they saw their lavish reception room...the centerpieces, lighting, all the special touches...and their cake--hello bling! Everything looked absolutely amazing! We can't help but share a couple of the pics with you all.

There are so many people who took part in the success of this event. Everyone was on point that day and we would like to take the time to thank them for their hard work.

Thanks to Vito and his crew from Jasmine Photography for taking wonderful pics and doing video! Jah-Pan for the steel drum band, Music Mixed Intelligently for the all night entertainment, World of Illumination for lighting, Partybooths.com for the Photo Booth and Flower Michele for the amazing reception decor! A special Thank You to Tameka, wedding coordinator for Abyssinian Baptist Chruch..you are fabulous!

With Stephen being a Dallas Cowboy, there were bound to be some NFL players attending...we were happy to be there to meet all of them! And yes, we admit, we were slightly starstruck--but all were so nice! Thanks for the many pics! Here is one pic of us with (from left to right) Marcus Spears, Jason Hatcher, and Chris Canty of the Cowboys.

Of course the entire day would not have run smoothly without our fabulous PBW crew for the day. Jenny would like to send a huge THANK YOU to Melissa, Adhari and Monique for their assistance throughout the day! Mission Accomplished, Ladies! Although the day was long, Jenny and crew definitely had their fair share of FUN at the wedding..it was hard not to throw themselves in the celebration!

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Bowen...it was an honor to be a part of your very special day!

The "Bulging" Blues

So many of our clients casually mention to us that they are going on a major weight loss mission for their wedding. I completely understand that. I too went on a diet before my big day. I was very happy to lose 15 lbs in 6 months and even happier to lose another 5lbs in the two days leading up to my wedding! (check out one of my wedding pics...it's so bitter sweet....sweet because it's me with my late mother's sisters from Ireland and bitter because I am SO NOT svelte like that anymore). That week of wedding weight loss is just a phenomenon that cannot be medically explained. I attribute it to jitters, anxiety, excitement...etc. I'm not questioning it...I just loved it! :)

But, as a professional yo-yo dieter, I can speak from years of experience and say that the best way to lose weight is to practice a healthy lifestyle. That includes portion control and exercise. We all know it...but for some reason (and this is another phenomenon that racks my brain) we simply do not do it. This is the weight loss dilemma that plagues so many of us. To add fuel to the fire, we are constantly faced with tempting and delicious foods everywhere we go! It's easy to say "I'll pass on the cheesecake, and opt for the sugar free jello" but how often do we really do it??? I can personally say that I have failed to make good choices for the last 4 years and as a result I have gained 30 lbs (I'm actually nauseous when I say that!)

To this end...I have decided to challenge myself and start living healthy. I have joined Jenny Craig and plan to blow Valerie Bertinelli out of the water! JC's new spokesperson is Queen Latifah...and she is not interested in looking like a supermodel, but rather she simply wishes to be a super "role model" and lose about 10% of her body weight. Screw that! (no offense to the Queen!). I want to lose 35 lbs. I don't want to be stick thin..I never will be a size 2 and I'm completely OK with that fact. I just want to feel better in my clothes. I want to look better on national TV (for those of you who don't know, I'm a featured wedding planner on the tv show "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" and it's aired in over 30 countries and 60 million homes). I really don't like seeing my big fat bum on national television. If that's not incentive enough, then I don't know what is! Yes, I want to look better for my hubby and yes I want more energy and yes I want to be able to try on any almost any outfit and say "hubba hubba" but in reality, I'm all about appearances and I "appear" less than fabulous on that big ole' 60'' hi def television screen! They say the camera adds 10 lbs...well when we're filming, there's often 3 cameras on us at once...that's 30 lbs of tv weight according to my calculations! Scary...

So here's the deal...I am making an effort to change. My reasons are my own. I welcome any and all brides to be, former brides, women, men, etc. to join me on this mission! Let's do this. Let's get healthy, let's get smaller, let's become fabulous! My choice is Jenny Craig...I need the discipline and control that this particular program offers. Whatever "diet" plan you choose...I wish you much success! I also welcome your emails (send to Jennifer@pamperedbrideweddings.com) Share your success with me! Share your bad day stories with me! Share it all!

Wedding season has officially started on my end..that means weddings every weekend...that means food, food and more food in my face. I need support! And just as a side note...I am one of those optimistic people that thinks all brides, regardless of size, look beautiful on their wedding day. So this is not in any way, me shoving "weight loss" down the throats of brides to be. If you're happy, good for you! I am simply stating that many of us do not feel comfortable at our current size...And to all of you who fall into that category, this mission is for you!
Let's kick the butt of the bulge!
More updates to come.

Jenny

Fun news!

Hi all!!



We just heard from the producers that Heather and Wari's episode of Whose Wedding is it Anyway? will be airing on March 11 at 9pm! Episode number 702.



Check mystyle.com for details! Should be a good one!

Are you ready for some more Jenny?!

Another successful episode wrapped!

PBW just wrapped another episode of "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" on Saturday. Tobi and Petros were married at the Madison Hotel in Convent Station. Their love story and wedding planning experience is quite unique...in addition to the normal stresses associated with getting married, the couple is also undergoing fertility treatments. Amazingly, the bride was not a hormonal nightmare! She was actually a pleasure! It was such a fun experience to say the least.

Samantha Goldberg of Gold Events and Jenny partnered on this event and were basically given the green light by the bride and groom to design and orchestrate their wedding! The couple literally had no idea what Sam and Jenny had up their sleeves! They just trusted them..and we love that!!!! The bride told us she liked purples, plums and cranberries so Jenny and Sam just ran with it! We used some of our favorite vendors (thank you Josh, Kristin, Cindy, and Jay) and a big thanks to Fred at the Madison. Everyone did such an awesome job!

The couple was so happy..they were actually crying when Jenny and Samantha revealed the reception room to them. That is the best feeling a wedding planner can ever hope for! Mission accomplished!

Here is a pic of the couple with Jenny and Sam...I would say they are pretty happy!

Check out mystyle.com for air dates...but we think it will be in late March or early April.

TRASH THE DRESS-Are you for Real?!!

So we've recently been bombarded with requests from our clients asking about this "trash the dress" service being offered by photographers. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this phenomenon...it's quite simple. The idea is for a bride to don her gorgeous gown after her wedding (days, weeks, months...your choice) and go to the streets (or any location that's less than sterile and pristine) and have a professional photographer there snapping shots of the bride as she rolls around in dirt, grass, city streets, the ocean etc. Yes, it sounds pretty darned awful...but the process is apparently quite refreshing and liberating (just what I heard...can't speak for myself.) Personally, I would not do it for two reasons 1. after over 4 years of marital bliss there's no way I could even squeeze into my wedding gown (ugh..that's a whole other blog!) and 2. I really liked my dress.

So if you're considering taking the plunge and jumping on the "trash the dress" bandwagon...and you really loved your $8500 Reem Acra gown...I have three words of advice.... BUY ANOTHER DRESS! Because if your photographer is talented...he or she will most likely have you covered in ketchup and mustard on the streets of New York! (see the link below of CLB Photography's "trash the dress" photo shoot) Totally divine...but dirty as hell!


http://www.clbphoto.com/forBlogs/BlogTTDSlideshow.html

Happy Planning!

Love, Jenny

Attention Brides!

Hello Brides!

I don't usually "plug" people but I think this cause is quite deserving. One of my good friends and fellow wedding planners Samantha Goldberg does a weekly talk/web radio show on the Wedding Podcast Network (see details below). So I'm making this entry to discuss what I think is a great topic (controversial) but still worthy of conversation. I so often hear from my clients stories of "less than wonderful" bridesmaids and they frequently ask for advice on how to mediate or in some cases, get rid of the problem! Yes, it happens...and it's such a sticky subject. Bridesmaids are chosen to be there to help brides manage their wedding planning process...especially the emotional aspects. And unfortunately there are times when a bridesmaid just doesn't pull her weight. While I'm not personally commenting on the topic in this blog,...I do believe many brides wish to talk about it and hear advice on the topic from a professional..someone who deals with the issue every day. I will however direct my devoted readers to a site/forum in which you can express your thoughts, or just listen quietly and anonymously.

So if you're interested in commiserating with other brides in your same situation, or you just want to "lurk" and hear the goods, pls call in this Wed night to Samantha's live talk show on the Wedding Podcast Network. I also hear another controversial topic will be on the agenda..."Engagement was called off. What to do with the ring!" Enjoy the podcast!

All the best,
Jenny

Here are the details...

Live Call In Show On 1-30-08 at 9pm Eastern Time

Join Samantha Goldberg Live Tonight!
Please join me and my good friend Robert founder of the Wedding Podcast Network tonight and every other Wednesday at 9pm for FREE bridal advice! That is 9pm Eastern time.
This weeks subject has 2 agendas...One is The guy who cheats and expects his ring back and How do we ask a bridesmaid to step down from the wedding party cause she is making you crazy!
The number is:(724) 444-7444 The show ID is 56410 and the show id is your home telephone number...
Here is the link to go directly to the website! http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/56410

Holiday fun with our girls!

It's been a while since our last post, but we want to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Jenny and the whole crew at PBW are so excited to get the new year underway!

On January 7th, Pampered Bride Weddings held it's belated Holiday Party (those darn sleet storms pushed our original date back) at the Garlic Rose in Cranford, NJ. Lisa Placiniak from A Touch of Elegance and Josh Lynn of Josh Lynn Photography joined us for the festivities. We had such a wonderful time catching up, exchanging gifts and experimenting with the blue sangria!

At the conclusion of our evening, Josh brought out the camera and did a mini-photoshoot of all of us together. That was an experience...to say the least! We all had our headshots done for our new website (coming soon--it's going to be amazing!) and took some fun and silly shots with Jenny. We were jumping, running, dodging traffic, and doing conga lines! Just take a look at us...we had a blast! Thanks so much Josh--you rock!

PBW is ready to go!!

Here's to a wonderful 2008!!