Vendor Profile: Floral Affairs

As you walk into Floral Affairs at 324 Deerfield Street in Greenfield, you are immediately welcomed with the smell of fresh flowers. The shop is bright and full of displays for the current holiday. Rebecca, the owner, greets you with a smile. Inspiration is just a hello away.

Floral Affairs is a full service floral shop with a few gift ideas mixed in. I first found them on the web and was immediately impressed by the arrangements they offered. Once I walked in and saw them in person I knew I had found a real gem in Greenfield. It was only further confirmed after talking with friends and finding they loved them too.

Rebecca is also the floral designer in the shop. Her philosophy on flowers for weddings is, “you only get one day to get it right.” This philosophy shows in her work. As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, she spends a lot of time consulting with her brides to make sure the flowers are perfect. She will walk you through step-by-step planning, creating a wishlist, and fitting it into a realistic budget. Some of the questions she asks include: What color are the dresses? What style or feel odes the wedding have? Where is it located?

Her major piece of advice to brides is before you order flowers, have three things set in stone: the dresses, the location for the wedding, and have a clear style or theme for the wedding. All of these things are very important for picking the right flowers. If your dresses end up one shade off from what you thought it can clash with the flowers. You also want to have them feel like they belong with the rest of the wedding.

For the DIY brides Rebecca has started a new program. The bride orders all of the flowers in bulk, makes the arrangements with guidance and the store stores and conditions the flowers for the day. This is great for brides trying to save a little money, but also for the brides that like to be creative. Rebecca recommends getting your bridal party involved too.

Overall, this has been a great experience getting to know Rebecca and the floral shop. I would recommend them to anyone I come across who needs flowers, not just weddings.

Check them out at http://www.floralaffairsofgreenfield.com/

Vendor Highlight: Aliber's Bridal



Photo by Gibby Images

Aliber's Bridal has been in business for 92 years, making it a cornerstone business in Greenfield Massachusetts. My first real experience there was when my friend was looking for her wedding dress. Aliber's was our first stop. We walked in and started looking for dresses. We were greeted right away, and the sales woman was very helpful in finding dresses in our budget. Even though my friend did not get her dress there, the experience was a positive one. Since then my experiences have only improved.

In 2010, Aliber's changed hands, and the helpful saleswoman we had years before was now a dedicated seamstress, one of three on staff. The current owner, Cristen, has given the shop a beautiful look and focuses on quality customer service on a daily basis, living up to the motto "No One Does I Do Like We Do."



Photo by Michael Paul

"Remember, it's one day; stress gets blown out of proportion and you need to remember to breathe. Leave the worries to the professionals, that's why you hired them," She said to me. With that in mind, here is some advice she has given before you start to shop for your wedding gown. Make sure you have the day and place set already. Having a clear budget helps to find the right gown for the right price. Aliber's requires a 50% deposit so make sure to have that with you. Also, plan for at least six months for delivery if you order a dress that is not in stock. Unlike Aliber's, a lot of places require you to pay for the whole dress up front and you have to take it with you when you leave. Aliber's houses and insures your dress until the week of the wedding, making sure the dress is perfect for the day of the wedding.

Other features that set Aliber’s apart include a white bag for privacy, making sure a certain someone doesn't get an accidental peek, and they are a full Service Bridal Salon, which includes Alterations, tuxedo sales and rentals and prom and bridesmaid dresses. They are also happy to do outside consultations. Prices range from $150 to $1600.

Bridal Party advice: There are a couple of options to think about. You can order all the same dresses, which makes everyone uniform. You can buy all the same color but have the girls pick different tops and/or skirts, this helps when dealing with different body types. You can also order different dresses but in the same color, a little variety might be what you're looking for. Lastly, you can order any range and colors, making each girl unique. If you do order dresses of the same color, make sure to order from the same company or location. This insures you will have the same dye lot and no slight changes in color from dress to dress.

As for the Groomsmen: If you rent 5 Tuxes, the Groom gets his for free and up to 2 ringbearers at a discount.

Photo by Gibby Images

Also, don't forget shoes, accessories and jewelry, all available at Aliber's. So whether you make it your first stop or your last, make it a stop on your way to that perfect day.

Shoot of The Week

So I know this was taken back in November, but since I am starting a Shoot of the Week and it's been slow, I'm sharing this one. Plus, who can resist penguins?

Pinterest for Wedding Planning

There a lot of things to think about when planning a wedding and not all of us are effective about explaining what we have in our heads. This is why I recommend Pinterest. Pinterest for those of you who haven't heard of it, is a pinning sight for photographs of almost anything you could possibly be looking for. It's like having a digital cork board. You can put any picture up there you want and organize them by categories, or boards. I have been using it to keep inspiration, studio ideas and examples of my work. But I also have a wedding ideas board. It's a place to keep all you visual ideas together so you can share with friends, vendors, and family while planning your special day.

If you haven't joined Pinterest, you should.

In Thinking About What I Love

I have been thinking about taking photographs for myself a little more, but unlike college, it's hard to find time to do so. Since I love taking pictures of people it also makes it difficult to get people involved. So I make a plea to all my readers, I am looking for anyone who is about to wear a wedding dress, and those who can still fit into their dress. I would like to do a series of Glamor/Trash the Dress shoots. I am looking for 20 women willing to work with me. I also need a willing hair stylist/make-up artist willing to volunteer their time. If anyone should know of someone wo fits these descriptions pass along my info, or email me at liz@lizlefebvre.com

The Devils in the details

Details, details, details.... Having a wedding can be overwhelming. There is so many things to think about and decide. The dress, the flowers, when, where, how many guests, DJ, food, decorations, photography, video. How is a couple to remember everything?

Well there are some great wedding plan guides available for the happy couple. First one is the Valley Advocate does an I Do guide for the area about 2-3 times a year. In that guide is a planning guide that is very well set up for organizing your plans. It also has lists of vendors in the area for hire. Very useful resource.

Now, I think Martha Stewart can be a little over the top, but the woman knows her stuff. On her website is a planning guide that is spectacular. It have a seating chart, music planning, flowers, and much more. The pages are easily duplicated so you can have as many pages of each section as you need.

There is also many books you can buy in Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and other retailers. I have not discovered my favorite yet, but there are plenty out there to choose from. With so many details to planning, have a guide is highly recommended.

OK, here is a small bit of advice when getting ready for a portrait shoot.

Clothing says a lot about a person. Even though many of us would like to think we look deeper than what one looks like before we form an opinion, we can't help but get an initial reaction from the first glance. This is why clothing is so important in showing who you are in a photo.

First thing to think about is who is going to see these photos. If you are doing a senior portrait, most likely your whole family with be treasuring these photos for years to come, not to mention it will be immortalized in your high school year book forever. Now, showing who you are and what makes you unique is important. It's a time in your life when you starting to figure out who you are, but are you always going to want to be remembered as the girl in barely any clothes?

That said, here are some things to avoid; yellow is a really bright color so people will instantly be drawn to the yellow in your shirt. I do not suggest yellow as a good color. Loud patterns take attention away from the subject, similar to what the color uses. Stripes don't make anyone look that good so avoid those as well.

Even after saying all this, there is always times when breaking these rules works really well. I always advise talking to your photographer before you go to a shoot and bring several options.

Weddings are a colaborative effort. True that the happy couple coes up with an idea; their ideal day. Then they take this concept to vendors; reception halls, photographers, caterers, tec. These people or companies work hard to make the couple's dream a reality. Some do it better than others, and some try to make the couple aware of when they are being unrealistic. I am not here to bad mouth other vendors, I prefer to focus on the one who are doing a great job. I want to help Couples find the best people to help them create thier dream day.

Now all of that said, I also want to share any tips or clues to help plan for your wedding day. Also please share anything that might have helped you on your wedding day.

Liz Lefebvre