Eternity, Stinky Smells and Warding off Evil!

While becoming so engrossed in all the little odds and ends that make a wedding and marriage become exactly that, I stopped to think how, why, and when did these symbols become what they mean to us now? Really, who thought to put bands on a finger and say that symbolizes that you’re married? Why does a bride carry a bouquet and wear a veil? And who said “Yes, bridesmaids! You will all wear the same dress in the same color and stand by me at the alter”! Well keep reading and I’ll explain. :)

In my personal opinion I feel that the biggest, most common symbol of a marriage is the couple’s wedding bands. It’s said we can thank the Egyptians for that. Wedding bands are shaped as a circle symbolizing eternity, a shape with no beginning or end -- how sweet! Though it is becoming more popular to have different colored gems on the rings, the diamond is the most common because of it’s representation of strength. So who convinced our manly-men of America to sport a ring on their finger? Your answer: World War II. Women and MEN began wearing it for comfort and as a reminder their loved one thought of them often while being away. 

I really think Kevin of Twigs and Branches Floral would be disgusted if I told him I wanted a garlic and dill bouquet – how pretty would that smell?! Sense my sarcasm…  Believe it or not that’s what brides used to carry down the isle! They say this was brought on during the time of the Plague when people used these herbs as an effort to survive. It caught on to becoming a tradition for a bride. Much like the fact a veil used to be worn for protection against evil spirits. Now that we are in more modern times, the bouquet and veil are used more as finishing accessories to the brides look. 

You know how they say the bride is supposed to be the only one in a white dress on her wedding day? Well back in the earliest traditions the brides used to dress her bridesmaids in the same dress she wore! Once again reverting back to fighting off evil spirits, they thought to dress the bridesmaids as decoys to protect the bride. These Victorians were really superstitious huh?

Well that wraps up our little history lesson for the day! Hope you enjoyed!

-Nicole H

Meet Nicole!!.....#2

Please help me welcome our newest Nicole to the team!   Below is a little more about her, enjoy!

Hi guys!  I am super excited to be a part of this spectacular company. Like Jennie said she is now surrounded by a bunch ( well just 2 haha) Nicole's! 

I cannot even express how thankful I am for randomly searching on the Internet a few months ago and wanting to find someone out there that could help my inner passion with wedding planning. 

Many little girls imagine their wedding day, dressed up like a princess marrying her prince. I had dreams like this too when I was young but as I hit the last year of my twenties I realized my dreams were about being a part of the planning and not so much walking down the aisle myself.

So, hi everyone, I'm Nicole. I am 29 years old and have a soon to be 3 year old, not so little, boy named Dylan. I have a slight obsession with high heels and Starbucks coffee, I always wear or accessorize with leopard print and run my own direct sales business. I also like to keep busy which is another reason why I wanted to join Jennie and Nicole and learn about this business. 

I spend my days making phone calls and sending emails, and my nights catching up on my reality T.V. fix. I have an amazing boyfriend named Tommy that has been truly a blessing since he has walked into my life. 

So that's just a little glimpse into my wonderful little life. I cannot wait to start learning from these two women! Let the wedding planning begin! 

I'm surrounded by Nicoles!!

It is with great pleasure that I welcome our new intern Nicole to the team!  (Please note this is not to be confused with our former intern-now assistant planner, Nicole but a whole new Nicole!!)

Nicole #2 will be writing up an introductory blog post in the coming days to introduce herself, but I wanted to send an official welcome out to her!

Nicole #1 and I are very happy to have her join us and look forward to bringing her in to assist weddings in the coming months.  I have no doubt she’s going to do a fantastic job and can’t wait to have her by my side!

Now I may need to think of some kind of nickname...not sure if Nicole #1 and Nicole #2 will work....

Interns!

Beautiful Day is currently looking for interns!

The position is unpaid, flexible in hours and will allow you to get great experience planning and coordinating weddings!  Some in-office or computer work will be required and interns must be available to work weddings as an assistant to Jennie or Nicole.

Wedding experience is not required but candidates must be organized, professional and have good social and communication skills.  Must have at least a high school diploma.

If you're interested, please email nicole@beautifuldayplanning.com and include a resume.

Meet Nicole

There's another huge upside to having Nicole...she can help with the blog.  So here, ladies and gentlemen, is her first post.  Read it over and learn a little more about my right hand (wo)man!

** Two caveats before you read.... 1. GO GREEN .... 2. 13 is also my lucky number...


MEET NICOLE!
I want to start my very first blog by thanking you all for such a warm welcome to the BDP team. I’m so very blessed to have stumbled upon this company, and cannot thank Jennie enough for taking me under her wing. That being said I think it’s time for a little introduction and to get to know me! Don’t worry I’ll keep it short and sweet. ;)

For starters, my name is Nicole. I’m an easy to love, 22 year old born and raised in metro Detroit. Being from the Detroit area it’s probably a given that I’m a die hard Wings fans (so thankful for the season to finally begin!!!). I also really enjoy Michigan football, sorry Jennie, and yes… the Lions. Weddings and sports aren’t my only passion though. I’ve been a dancer for the majority of my life. I currently coach the Jr. Varsity dance team at Anchor Bay High School, and let me tell you… that’s a fun job!  I also have a job at one of the larger event rental companies in the area, which just helps with this line of work!

I promised to keep this short, but for those of you who know me - know I can talk! Here are a few fun/random facts about me: 
- Without coffee, I wouldn’t function properly
- Lake St. Clair, boats, and bonfires round up my perfect summer day
- If ice cream was acceptable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then that and coffee would be the only thing I’d consume.   
- 13 is my lucky number…so this WILL be my lucky year!
- I’m addicted to Pinterest….there I said it. What else would you expect though, isn’t every girl?! 
- I can be indecisive (I hate picking where to eat), but I also know what I want…what’a combo
- I like to think of my life as a nice mix of Gossip Girl and Sex and the City, with a side of JLo (The Wedding Planner). Coincidently, these all take place in the concrete jungle...to which I’ve never been, but would love to visit one day. :)
- “Creativity takes Courage” – Henri Matisse – Words to live by in this industry. 

Okay, I’m rambling. I hope you enjoyed getting to know me and my random behavior. I promise to blog about weddings and events from here on out! 

N

2013 Bride's Choice Award!

SO excited to announce that Beautiful Day Planning LLC has once again received the Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Award!

This award is given to the top 5% of wedding vendors in each category across the country.  We are thrilled and blessed to have received this award for the second year in a row! :)

 

If you're a past client and you haven't reviewed BDP's services yet, please do so here!
http://www.eventwire.com/review/BeautifulDayPlanningLLC

Expansion!!!

When I began BDP in January 2009, my goal was to create a company that I could be proud of, a company that I would be happy to have my name attached to.  I didn't know how big it would get and I didn't even know if it would succeed.  What I did know was that I loved weddings and I wanted to use the business as an outlet to help as many people as possible.

I never imagined, never dreamed, that just four years later I would be faced with a problem... that I would actually have hit a point where I was getting more business than I could handle alone.  I hoped that my reputation and referrals from my past clients would keep me busy... I didn't even know to hope that I would become as busy as I have.

Thank God I have Nicole!!

Nicole joined BDP as an intern in 2011 and has been working as my assistant / intern / sidekick ever since.  She's a FANTASTIC worker, a wonderful planner, always on top of everything and just an all-around great person.  I love spending time with her and I LOVE having her on site with me for weddings.  She also works at one of the major event rental companys, Special Events Rental, and that helps her to do her job even better!

Because of all of this, it was no surprise that my "I may need some help" thoughts turned immediately to Nicole.  She's been with me well over a year now, she's worked countless weddings with me and has even been on site alone.  Most importantly, she's someone I believe in and someone I'm happy to have "officially" become a contractor and member of the Beautiful Day team!

So I ask all of you to help me officially welcome Nicole to the team.  She's going to begin taking on some weddings & planning work solo in the coming months and I can't wait to see what she comes up with!  After all, two heads are better than one, right?! :)

The BDP team care of "Goofey Faces"

Nicole Hurttgam

Assistant Wedding Planner

Beautiful Day Planning, LLC

Weddings, Events & Calligraphy

586-255-4121

nicole@beautifuldayplanning.com

www.beautifuldayplanning.com