Royal Obsession

I'm convinced that any girl that says that she didn't dream about being a princess at one point or another is a big, dirty liar. Everyone should feel like a princess on their wedding day, but for Kate Middleton, her wedding day will be about becoming a legit PRINCESS!

As I am obsessed with all things British and wedding involved, I will be following all of the royal wedding details closely. So far, we know that Kate and Prince William will marry on Friday, April 29, 2010 at Westminster Abbey, where William's mother, Princess Diana was iconically laid to rest. Not too much more has been made public.

I'd guess, in judging from Kate's everyday style, that we'll see her wear something modern, and fashionable, with a classic touch.

Will you be following the royal engagement? What do you think Kate will wear?

(Photo credit: http://www.nydailynews.com/)

Put a Ring on It

With all the celebrity engagements popping up everyday, I wanted to do a post about rings! In reading about Jessica Simpson's recent engagement to former NFL player Eric Johnson, I found out that Eric proposed to Jessica with a vintage Neil Lane ruby and diamond ring, reportedly worth over $189,000. This ring, as pictured below, is drastically different than Jessica's previous engagement ring from ex-husband Nick Lachey, which was very classic and very diamond.

More and more engagements are happening with unique rings. Ruby, emerald, sapphire, black diamond, etc. are becoming popular and chic choices for engagements. Personally, I love the idea of having something less typical, especially if the piece has some history.

What do you think? Traditional or non-traditional? What stone would you pick?

(Image credit: www.okmagazine.com)

My Top 5 Personal Wedding "Do" and "Don't Do" List

In planning my September 2010 wedding, I tried to keep track of my personal Do's and Don'ts, and figured I would share some of my personal experiences with those of you that may be planning a wedding in the near future. Here we go!:

1. Don't skip a florist, even if you're not a flower person/can't justify spending the money:
When we began wedding planning, I was deadset against having a florist, period. I couldn't justify the cost and just wasn't really into flowers. They die while you're looking at them in some cases! I swore that I could make my own centerpieces and bouquets. But, undercover, I secretly lusted after a local florist and just didn't want to come to terms with it, as I was afraid of the cost after seeing her amazing work. I figured it'd be way out of our league. After much convincing from family and friends, I finally gave it and decided to get a florist. Ready for dissapointment, I called my favorite florist after a few others, so I could price compare. I couldn't believe how afforable her work really was! I was able to get twice the flowers and the perfect non-floral centerpieces I had dreamed of for less than half the cost of a chain grocery store. I was shocked. Looking back on the pictures of our wedding day, I cannot imagine them now without our flowers. They completed the look and the entire day.

2. Do realize that the people you expect the most from, may be the ones to dissapoint you:
Going into wedding planning, I thought I had a pretty accurate idea in my head of what I could expect from every person involved, from family to friends to vendors. I quickly came to realize that people can surprise you, in both good and bad ways. Know it's not just you! Expectations will not always met, and sometimes they can be largely exceeded. It's normal. People react differently than what you may consider ideal to some situations. You can't change it. You can only change the way you react.

3. Do make a few alone moments during the day for just you and your new husband/wife:
People are not kidding when they say your wedding day will be a blur. Your months or years of planning will come down to the quickest day of your life. You will be saying your goodbyes to guests before you know it. There will be parts of the day you won't remember because they're so intensely busy. Make sure to set aside a few special moments to be alone with your new spouse. That's what the day is about, after all. Some of our most memorable moments from the day were the few moments we snuck away to have an alone moment with each other. They are also the moments I remember most clearly, as they were the calm moments. You'll be happy you did.

4. Don't overlook the "getting ready" time before the wedding:
After hearing about so many brides having stress the morning of their wedding about transportation, appointments, etc. I planned heavily to avoid this, and would suggest the same to all brides! Drink the extra mimosa that you're craving. Listen to your favorite music with your favorite girlfriends. Eat the bagel and cream cheese you've skipped due to your diet for the past 4 months. When at all possible, get ready at the venue. Pay the extra fee to have your hairdresser/makeup artist come to you. RELAX. Your wedding day will be one of the craziest days of your life, but the time beforehand shouldn't be. Your attitude and stress level before the wedding will set the tone for the day.

5. Do know that marriage may change your relationships with friends and family:
Honestly, I didn't think much of anything would change after our wedding, other than some new rings and a new last name. We had been living together for almost 5 years, and I found us, along with our relationships with friends, family, etc. to be pretty settled. But, after our wedding, a lot of things changed. You may experience changes in your relationships. It's normal. It happens. For example, though we didn't change anything about our day-to-day life after our wedding, I found that some of our friends looked at us differently. We're old and married and frumpy. Even if they don't admit it, they might think it. Family might react the same.



Those are my top 5 for now. Any questions, ask! I hope I can provide some insight for future brides through my own experiences.

I'm back, back again

I'm back from my own wedding/honeymoon and ready to get this blog moving! My own planning had taken up so much of my time, but it's great to be back in the swing of things. We had a fabulous wedding on September 25, 2010 shared with family and friends that we'll never forget. Big thank you's to our vendors that made the day perfect-

DJ- Ben Cohen of Cool Cat DJ. http://www.coolcatdj.com/ or on facebook http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/DJ-Benco/121010667919506. Ben was a FANTASTIC DJ who really completed our party and kept the dance floor packed from the beginning to end of our day. We intially met with Ben with some ideas we thought were a little whacky and he incorporated all of them flawlessy and easily into our day. Our guests have raved that Ben was the best DJ they've experienced at a wedding.

Florist- Kris Ann Elario of Fleurtacious Designs http://www.fleurtaciousdesigns.com/. Kris Ann did an AMAZING job on the flowers for our wedding. I had stalked her work on the internet for a long time (hey, her husband is my favorite local photographer-blogger! hopefully that makes it less creepy...) and was so excited to have her as our florist. Kris Ann created my amazing bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, bout's, and centerpieces that were incredibly gorgeous. The room setup was amazing and so unique.

Photographer- Maria Celeste Barthold of Off the Beaten Path Photography http://www.mceleste.com/. Maria is truly a doll to work with and she takes some amazing photographs, while staying so low-key and calming. We were both very anxious about having so many photographs taken of us, and from our initial meeting with Maria, we were so happy with how relaxed she made us feel. I would highly recommend Maria and can't wait to see all our pictures from the wedding!

Venue- The Stockade Inn, Schenectady, N.Y. http://www.stockadeinn.com/ The Stockade Inn was my dream venue and made our day perfect. From day one, I had envisioned a venue that could accomodate a ceremony, reception, and guest rooms, with a classic, romantic feel. I found all of this in the Stockade Inn. Jeff McDonald and all of the staff made the day absolutely perfect and were very professional and organized to work with.

Hair/makeup- I am obsessed with my wedding hair/makeup artists. I'm not afraid to admit it. Hair was done by Christopher Feml and his assistant Kat Broadus of Townsend and Company Salon, and makeup by Vanessa Crewe Ntabona, also of Townsend and Company Salon. http://www.townsendhairsalon.com/ Their amazingly fun personalities combined with their amazing talents put the finishing touches (literally) on our day! The girls and I had so much fun getting ready with them in the suite before the day and looked and felt absolutely fabulous after their amazing jobs were complete. We received so many compliments on our looks for the day, and I could not have been happier. And shout-out to Kat for being our emergency seamstress as well!

That's it for my vendor reviews and recommendations! Thank you all again for helping with our day.

Next up: my first-hand wedding day do's and dont's.

Weddings, weddings, weddings!

I'm sure if you're this far, you know this already, but I'm VERY happy to announce that Kelo Designs now offers wedding/event planning services.

I've been planning my own September 2010 wedding (1 month from today, eek!) and had a realization one day. What will I do with myself when this wedding is over? Will I suffer from post-pardum depression? I think so. SO, I enrolled in Penn Foster University and am currently a student in their Professional Bridal Consultant program. I'm VERY excited about this new venture, as it's something I love love love.

So, please contact me if you're interested in having any assistance with wedding/event planning. I'm hoping to build my portfolio some while I'm still in school so I'd love to help!

This blog will also be including some wedding posts which I'm excited to start. I'll also be featuring local weddings that I love. If you have a local, real wedding you'd like to submit, please e-mail me at karissa@kelodesigns.com with pictures (please include photog credit if applicable) and your story and I'll get them posted! I'll also be posting engagement stories as well.

More sale items!

Couple more items for sale today! Both previously $25, and now $15 on www.kelodesigns.com

I suck

I'm awful at updating this blog! Wedding planning has consumed my life! But, the good news for this site is that the wedding is under 60 days away, and afterwards hope to get back to more jewelry making/updating. But, to make up for my laziness, purchase anything off the site and get a free pair of earrings today, through Friday, the 6th. Also, make sure to check out the site for some sales!

SALE- $25 (was $35). For purchase at www.kelodesigns.com