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Since the talk of the town has been revolving around Kim Kardashians lavish fairy tale wedding, CPE decided to take this opportunity to give our brides some quick tips on how to not only plan a fairy tale wedding like our favorite reality star, but also how to do it on a budget, and just like the star, in six months or less! Eager to tie the knot?  Wedding timelines typically begin a year before the big day, but with smart planning, you can plan a spectacular wedding in six months or less without a hitch or breaking the bank.  Even without a Kim Kardashian budget, you can still plan a fabulous fairy tale wedding. Hit the Ground Running: Make the first month count by setting your budget and make all your major decisions and purchases like booking your ceremony and reception sites, purchasing or ordering your gown and bridesmaids dresses, hiring a photographer, and deciding on the honeymoon location.  Having a theme in mind for your wedding, like Kim Kardashian’s dream fairy tale theme, will help when making these decisions so you know what direction to go in. Think Outside the Box with an Outdoor Event: You will quickly learn that popular wedding locations are reserved a year in advance, so be creative and think outside the box.  There are so many great hidden locations that you haven’t yet imagined.  Go for an outdoor garden ceremony followed by a beautiful tented outdoor reception for the fairy tale feel that will give Kim Kardashian’s wedding a run for its money!  Open your mind to different dates and locations as well for more options.  No Time or Money to Waste! Make smart decisions and be quick about it.  There is no need to second guess yourself; odds are you won’t regret the choices you originally made, especially when you avoid costly “rush” fees.  There should not be rush fees for booking your venue, band, florist, and most other vendors, although when ordering your gown and bridesmaid dresses, you may have to pay a little extra for hurrying the order. Plenty of Planners: If hiring a professional event planner like Kim isn’t in the budget, enlist the help of family and friends that you can depend on.  Even assigning small jobs will make your life easier.  Your friends and family may also have a network of vendors they have previously used that can be beneficial to your big day.  Having a sister who recently tied the knot, Kim’s sister Khloe will be a great source of help. Celebrate! Brides who have gotten their weddings together in six months or less have told me they enjoyed the process because they had less time to stress out and found the preparations surprisingly exciting.  When your big day comes, soak it all in, and enjoy it.

Since the talk of the town has been revolving around Kim Kardashians lavish fairy tale wedding, CPE decided to take this opportunity to give our brides some quick tips on how to not only plan a fairy tale wedding like our favorite reality star, but also how to do it on a budget, and just like the star, in six months or less!

Eager to tie the knot?  Wedding timelines typically begin a year before the big day, but with smart planning, you can plan a spectacular wedding in six months or less without a hitch or breaking the bank.  Even without a Kim Kardashian budget, you can still plan a fabulous fairy tale wedding.

Hit the Ground Running:

Make the first month count by setting your budget and make all your major decisions and purchases like booking your ceremony and reception sites, purchasing or ordering your gown and bridesmaids dresses, hiring a photographer, and deciding on the honeymoon location.  Having a theme in mind for your wedding, like Kim Kardashian’s dream fairy tale theme, will help when making these decisions so you know what direction to go in.

Think Outside the Box with an Outdoor Event:

You will quickly learn that popular wedding locations are reserved a year in advance, so be creative and think outside the box.  There are so many great hidden locations that you haven’t yet imagined.  Go for an outdoor garden ceremony followed by a beautiful tented outdoor reception for the fairy tale feel that will give Kim Kardashian’s wedding a run for its money!  Open your mind to different dates and locations as well for more options. 

No Time or Money to Waste!

Make smart decisions and be quick about it.  There is no need to second guess yourself; odds are you won’t regret the choices you originally made, especially when you avoid costly “rush” fees.  There should not be rush fees for booking your venue, band, florist, and most other vendors, although when ordering your gown and bridesmaid dresses, you may have to pay a little extra for hurrying the order.

Plenty of Planners:

If hiring a professional event planner like Kim isn’t in the budget, enlist the help of family and friends that you can depend on.  Even assigning small jobs will make your life easier.  Your friends and family may also have a network of vendors they have previously used that can be beneficial to your big day.  Having a sister who recently tied the knot, Kim’s sister Khloe will be a great source of help.

Celebrate!

Brides who have gotten their weddings together in six months or less have told me they enjoyed the process because they had less time to stress out and found the preparations surprisingly exciting.  When your big day comes, soak it all in, and enjoy it.

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Perfect Proposals for your Partner So now that the time has finally come in NYC that we can all now celebrate marriage equally, we thought this would be a great time to spruce up some tips on proposals. Most people only experience a marriage proposal once in their lifetime, so make it memorable! Here are some CPE tips for same sex proposals- The Rings: Rony Tennenbaum, a NYC based jeweler has designed a same-sex ring collection called “LVOE”.  The collection consists of modern fashion rings with a unique message that any same-sex couple would love to wear.  His collection reflects his philosophy that, “Love is love no matter how you spell it and no matter who the people are.” Men Proposing to Men: Since engagement rings are traditionally for females, men question whether or not they propose to their significant other with an engagement ring.  Propose to your partner with an engagement ring and after the proposal, if he wants to get you an engagement ring as well, go shopping for a complementary ring.  During the wedding ceremony, simply use the rings you have purchased each other instead of adding an additional wedding band. Same Finger for Same-Sex Engagement Rings? Whichever finger you choose, don’t be afraid to show off your bling!  Some same-sex couples stick with the traditional left hand ring finger, where as some same-sex couples choose to use the ring finger on the right hand. They choose the right hand ring finger for the engagement and/or wedding ring since it embraces the traditional practice of using the ring finger, yet choose the right hand for more privacy.  Do whatever feels right to you! Popping the Question: If you are stuck on how to propose to your partner, think about what your partner’s perfect proposal would be and keep it as personalized as possible.  The more personal and non cliché the proposal, the more memorable it will be.  Make you proposal from the heart and let them know your true feelings on why you want to spend your life with them.

Perfect Proposals for your Partner

So now that the time has finally come in NYC that we can all now celebrate marriage equally, we thought this would be a great time to spruce up some tips on proposals.

Most people only experience a marriage proposal once in their lifetime, so make it memorable! Here are some CPE tips for same sex proposals-

The Rings:

Rony Tennenbaum, a NYC based jeweler has designed a same-sex ring collection called “LVOE”.  The collection consists of modern fashion rings with a unique message that any same-sex couple would love to wear.  His collection reflects his philosophy that, “Love is love no matter how you spell it and no matter who the people are.”

Men Proposing to Men:

Since engagement rings are traditionally for females, men question whether or not they propose to their significant other with an engagement ring.  Propose to your partner with an engagement ring and after the proposal, if he wants to get you an engagement ring as well, go shopping for a complementary ring.  During the wedding ceremony, simply use the rings you have purchased each other instead of adding an additional wedding band.

Same Finger for Same-Sex Engagement Rings?

Whichever finger you choose, don’t be afraid to show off your bling!  Some same-sex couples stick with the traditional left hand ring finger, where as some same-sex couples choose to use the ring finger on the right hand. They choose the right hand ring finger for the engagement and/or wedding ring since it embraces the traditional practice of using the ring finger, yet choose the right hand for more privacy.  Do whatever feels right to you!

Popping the Question:

If you are stuck on how to propose to your partner, think about what your partner’s perfect proposal would be and keep it as personalized as possible.  The more personal and non cliché the proposal, the more memorable it will be.  Make you proposal from the heart and let them know your true feelings on why you want to spend your life with them.

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New Takes on Old Traditions

When planning any wedding, it’s always nice to incorporate traditions that your families hold close. The problem with this arises when these old traditions don’t translate all that well into your not so old school wedding. Take for example, the “Money Dance” aka the “Dollar Dance”. In theory this tradition is great. Celebrated through a vast variety of cultures from Poland, Ukraine, U.S, The Philippines, and Mexico, the “money dance” is a dance in which guests pin dollar bills to the bride’s gown and in return receive a dance with the couple. The idea is to give the couple a little extra financial boost. Sounds great. What doesn’t sound so great is pinning dollars, or anything for that matter to gowns that now a days are way to costly and precious to poke with anything.

So, what do you do? Instead of loosing the traditions look for new ways to put a spin on them. Here are just a few ways Christine Paul Events, Inc. thought to put their own spin on “The Money Dance”

For the bride: Utilize a cute purse for collecting money during the dance

For the Groom: Place a garter above your upper arm and insert money there.

For the Couple: Place both of your shoes in the middle of the dance floor and have guest put money there

Just a few ideas from CPE to get the juices flowing on ways you can take your own families old traditions and make slight changes to bring them up-to date for your own event!

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Hello to all our new blog friends! Take a minute to meet Christine Paul

Christine Paul is the owner & principal planner/designer of Christine Paul Events, Inc. The company is based in NYC. CPE provides professional event planning services for any type and size of wedding, party, corporate event, bar/bat mitzvah, children’s birthday parties, and just about any other social occasion.

Christine is a Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP). The CSEP designation is the hallmark of professional achievement in the special events industry. It is earned through education, performance, experience, and service to the industry, and reflects a commitment to professional conduct and ethics. The CSEP designation is awarded by the International Special Events Society (ISES).

Christine began her career in the Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Management Events Group in New York. She has traveled all over the world hosting fetes in exquisite locations such as New York City, The Hamptons, and Paris.

Christine has been featured on Good Morning America, Martha Stewart Sirius Radio, The New York Times, Fox News and many more. Each of Christine’s events are original, inspired and creative in design. Christine creates the ideal atmosphere no matter how big or small.

In addition to helping her clients with their needs, she is also committed to helping her community. Christine also serves on the New York Cares Junior Committee and as Chair of the West Side YMCA Junior Committee.

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